PITTSBURGH — In the span of 96 hours in March, the Cubs’ Daniel Palencia made a compelling case on a global stage that he was one of the best closers in baseball, becoming a national hero in Venezuela by saving the last three games of the World Baseball Classic.
He saved a surprisingly close game against Team Italy in the quarterfinals. He retired Shohei Ohtani on a game-ending fly ball to close out Team Japan in the semifinals. And he struck out slugger Kyle Schwarber and hot Red Sox prospect Roman Anthony before hurling his glove skyward into a warm Miami night after Team Venezuela subdued Team USA 3-2 in the grand finale.
On that night, when some folks swore the songs and chants of delirious Venezuelan fans could be heard across the Caribbean to Caracas, Palencia already had visions of what lay ahead when he returned to the Cubs.
So did those who saw a 26-year-old reliever at the top of his game while most players were still in spring training, ramping up for the start of the regular season.
Palencia had 22 saves last season, his first in the closer role for the Cubs. It didn’t take a great deal of imagination, after watching him throw five scoreless and hitless innings in the WBC, to see him come close to doubling that total for a contending Cubs team.
No one could have foreseen that we would be at the end of May and that Palencia would have the same number of saves for the Cubs (three) that he had for Team Venezuela in the money rounds of the WBC.
‘‘I would love to have more saves,’’ Palencia said before the Cubs’ 7-2 victory Thursday against the Pirates, which gave them a split of the four-game series and back-to-back wins after a 10-game losing streak. ‘‘I had the same mindset [of success]. I want to be an All-Star; I want to be a great closer. So, yes, it’s kind of frustrating for me to keep my mind clean.’’
The Cubs, who saw Pirates ace Paul Skenes exit in the sixth after his defense betrayed him with two errors, looked as though they might present Palencia with his first save opportunity since May 14 in Atlanta, when 13 of the 14 fastballs he threw exceeded 100 mph.
The Cubs took a 3-2 lead into the eighth, which usually would be the cue for Palencia to be on alert. But with Pittsburgh native Ian Happ hitting his second home run in two nights, the Cubs scored three runs to widen their lead to 6-2.
Palencia wasn’t needed, as Trent Thornton pitched the eighth and ninth.
Palencia missed three weeks in late April into May with a strained oblique muscle. Since then, the save opportunities have been sparse, in good part because the Cubs stopped winning and rarely held a lead. During their 10-game losing streak, the Cubs held the lead a total of two innings.
Palencia said his WBC experience allowed him to establish relationships with such Venezuelan legends as Johan Santana and Francisco Rodriguez.
‘‘I met those people, and it’s awesome for me,’’ he said. ‘‘Like, I can text those guys and talk to them.’’
Palencia understands the nature of the game.
‘‘Things happen,’’ he said. ‘‘Sometimes you spend six days without throwing and then you may throw five days in a row.’’
Palencia was only 4 when Rodriguez, who was still in Double-A, was promoted by the Angels and became a dominant force in their bullpen in October. He set up for Troy Percival as the Angels won the World Series in 2002. ‘‘F-Rod,’’ as he became known, became beloved back home.
‘‘That’s my goal,’’ Palencia said. ‘‘I want to make history. I want to inspire people, like when I see a kid wearing my jersey or texting me,‘I love you.’ That’s the goal for me. I want to put my name with Kenley Jansen, Billy Wagner, all those guys.’’
