Technically, James Karinchak has been back with the big league club since July 4. But if you ask me, he officially returned on Aug. 6 when he froze Jose Altuve on a 3-2 curveball to cap a scoreless inning of relief, his 10th straight unblemished appearance this season. As he walked back to the dugout, his signature histrionics were on full display:
James Karinchak, Nasty 83mph Curveball...and Psycho K Strut. pic.twitter.com/RxTlxIBfar
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 7, 2022
Karinchak is a lunatic. But he’s exactly the kind of lunatic the Cleveland Guardians’ bullpen very much needs now that he seems to have recovered from a precipitous decline a season ago that had many questioning whether he could ever be an effective reliever again.