Josh Hader Secures Save In Extra Innings
Josh Hader secured the save in Thursday's extra-inning win over the Twins. He tossed a perfect inning while striking out the three batters he faced. Hader was absolutely dominant when called upon in the season opener, tossing nine of his 11 pitches for strikes and fanning the three batters he faced. Hader went 13-for-15 in save opportunities last season and should be one of the league's elite closers once again in 2021. Hader simply has been nearly unhittable over the past few seasons and his strikeout ability make him one of the most elite relief pitchers in the majors.
Source: MLB.com
Milwaukee Brewers closer Source: MLB.com
Josh Hader Earns Eighth Save Of Season Monday
Josh Hader picked up his eighth save of the season in Monday's 8-5 win over the Tigers. Hader came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by three. He got the first two outs on a fly-out and a strikeout, allowed a double, and ended the game with another strikeout. The 31-year-old has been excellent so far even by his standards, converting all of his save opportunities with a 0.64 ERA, a 12.21 K/9 rate, and a 1.93 BB/9 rate. Free passes and home runs have been issues for Hader at times throughout his career, but he has done a great job limiting free passes and has yet to allow a homer.
Source: MLB.com
Houston Astros closer Source: MLB.com
Josh Hader Earns First Save In 2025
Josh Hader picked up the save on Thursday, closing the doors on the Mets in a 3-1 victory. It wasn't a flawless inning by any means, as he allowed one run on two hits and one walk. Early season rust aside, Hader should continue to be one of the game's most dominant closers. In 2024, he collected 34 saves while posting a 3.80 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 71 innings. He did need 35 pitches to finish the frame, so don't be surprised if he is unavailable out of the pen for the next game or two.
Source: MLB.com
Houston Astros relief pitcher Source: MLB.com
Josh Hader Looking To Simplify His Movements, Bolster Changeup
Josh Hader said that he's trying to simplify and limit his movements before his windup to the plate this year. "Not really with my mechanics, but just the initial coming set," Hader said. "That's where a lot of things can be picked up by hitters, when you're coming set. You tend to do certain things on certain pitches. Just trying to limit any tell that I could." Additionally, the hard-throwing 30-year-old southpaw is working on making his changeup a bigger part of his arsenal. Of his 1,166 pitches in 2024, Hader threw only 12 changeups, with 11 coming to right-handed hitters. Other than giving up 12 homers in his first year in Houston in 2024, Hader was a pretty dominant closer with 34 saves and a 79.1 percent share of his team's saves. He also led all relievers with 105 strikeouts, and his 37.8% strikeout rate ranked third. Consider Hader a top-five fantasy closer in 2025.
Source: MLB.com - Brian McTaggart
Houston Astros closer Source: MLB.com - Brian McTaggart
Josh Hader Rebounds With Four-Out Save Tuesday
Josh Hader got back on track in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Mariners, earning a four-out save. Hader came in to pitch the top of the eighth inning up by one with two outs and runners on first and third. He got the third out with a strikeout and stayed in to pitch the ninth, delivering a 1-2-3 inning with two more strikeouts. The 30-year-old closed the door on an American League West division title, just one outing after yielding four runs while recording just one out. Hader has not performed as well as he had earlier in his career, but he has still racked up 34 saves with a 3.60 ERA, a 0.93 WHIP, and a 13.37 K/9 rate in 70 innings of work. Given his job security and strong offense backing him, he should remain a high-end fantasy option for the foreseeable future.
Source: MLB.com
Houston Astros closer Source: MLB.com
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