ARLINGTON, Texas — Jose Leclerc was 16 when he signed with the Texas Rangers in 2010.
Thirteen years later, he's getting his chance to save Texas' postseason.
Literally.
Leclerc notched a dicey four-out save against the Astros in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series on Monday, clinching a 5-4 win and staving off a Houston rally.
It was Leclerc's third save of the postseason and seventh appearance; he has finished all seven of the Rangers' playoff games, all seven of which have been wins.
For a club that's struggled to get 27 outs with a lead, Leclerc has managed to get the 27th out in every postseason game.
"I think that in the past month, just being in those high leverage situations has really helped my confidence," Leclerc said at a Rangers press conference this week. "Just helped me grow, as a pitcher, just having the opportunity to be in those types of high-leverage situations.
His highest-leverage moments have come against the Astros: The save on Monday and then the save with a 2-0 lead on Sunday night. He entered Monday's game with the Astros crowd in a frenzy in the eighth inning, following a two-out solo homer from Yordan Alvarez.
Leclerc walked the next two batters but then got Chas McCormick to ground into a fielder's choice at third base for the final out of the inning. He retired the ninth in order, including a flyout from Jose Altuve for the final out of the game.
It marked another major moment for Leclerc; not only in the 2023 postseason but in his comeback and recovery from injury and his journey to lock down a defined role in the Rangers bullpen.
Leclerc, a native of the Dominican Republic, was just shy of his 17th birthday when he signed with the club in December 2010.
He worked his way through the minors and made his big league debut in 2016. He didn't play in the postseason that year, but in 2023, he remains the only Ranger from that squad.
Leclerc in 2017-2019 carved out a role in the back end of the Rangers bullpen and took on the occasional save opportunities. But a shoulder injury shut him down quickly in the shortened 2020 season, and he missed the 2021 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Leclerc returned to action in June 2022 and gradually worked his way back to form, albeit for a struggling team. Entering 2023, the Rangers exercised their $6 million option to bring Leclerc back, though it wasn't guaranteed he'd have a defined role in even a thin bullpen.
And that's how the early part of the season played out: Leclerc got the occasional opportunity late in games, but lefty Will Smith was the Rangers' primary closer.
When Leclerc struggled in late April and early May, manager Bruce Bochy acknowledged that Leclerc needed more opportunities in less-leverage situations.
It didn't help matters when Leclerc landed on the 15-day Injured List with an ankle injury in June.
He returned to Texas in early July and found himself in mostly mid-inning situations, where he started to look sharper. While most of the Rangers bullpen fell apart, including Smith and trade deadline acquisition Aroldis Chapman, Leclerc kept getting better. He blew saves on Sept. 3 and Sept. 16, but he also pitched to a 1.98 ERA over 13.2 innings for the month.
And something else happened along the way: His velocity went up.
Before September, Leclerc's max velocity on his fastball was only 96.9 mph, according to MLB Statcast, and he regularly threw in the low- to mid-90s. In the last three weeks, Leclerc has routinely thrown 97-98 mph, adding the few ticks of velocity that are crucial in late-inning scenarios.
And aside from Monday's walks, Leclerc has sharpened his control, walking only three batters in 7.1 innings this postseason.
"For me, it's just been an honor to have this opportunity to close out these games throughout the season, especially now in the postseason," Leclerc said. "I've never had [another] team, since I was a kid, this has been my team since I was young. I signed. They gave me an opportunity. So it's just been really a special moment to have this opportunity with the Rangers."
Leclerc has navigated his own journey. But he's also witnessed the Rangers' journey from a playoff team in 2016 to a cellar-dweller up until this year.
"I've had some ups and downs," he said. "I've just used that as energy and fuel for me to continue to get better. I knew the team and organization would get back to this point, so we've worked hard for that. And I'm just happy to have the opportunity to be here."