Friday night almost seemed to be a disappointment. Josh Hader came on to preserve the Milwaukee Brewers‘ 2-1 lead, doing his job with ease. He threw just seven pitches, generating two grounders and a foul ball to notch the save.
While he did his job easily, that was not the type of performance that everyone has come to expect. He did not record any strikeouts, just the second time this year that has happened.
Josh Hader having ridiculous year for Milwaukee Brewers
It speaks volumes to what has come to be expected from Hader. An easy 1-2-3 inning is a disappointment, something devoid of the usual buzz that he generates. While other teams would love to have a closer come in and fire just seven pitches for three outs, that is not what Hader does.
That is clear with his performance thus far in 2022. He has allowed just two hits in 40 at bats, only one of which went for extra bases. It is not a surprise that he has yet to allow a run in his 12.1 innings, issuing five walks as he has struck out 18 batters while being a perfect 13-13 in save opportunities.
Hader has become the ultimate weapon for the Brewers. They know that all they need to do is get to the ninth inning with the lead and the game is over. Having that presence in the back of their bullpen, paired with their dominant trio atop the rotation, has made the Brewers a perrenial playoff contender.
That has been the case since Hader debuted. His 500 strikeouts in just 294.2 innings speak to his sheer dominance. It makes those nights, such as Friday when he recorded three outs via grounders and a foul ball, seemingly disappointing.
Josh Hader has been utterly dominant for the Milwaukee Brewers. That made his quick and easy inning on Friday seem somewhat disappointing.