For one night, relaxed Jeanmar Gomez looks like a closer

NEW YORK — For the majority of his seven-year career, Jeanmar Gomez has existed in the shadows. He failed as a starter for the Cleveland Indians, so he became a middle reliever. His most frequent appearances are in the sixth and seventh innings. He did his job so well last season — e.g. no one noticed the lean righthander — that the Phillies paid him $1.4 million.

Now, he is their closer.

"For me, I don't think too much about that," the soft-spoken Gomez said. "If you're thinking too much, you try to do more than you can do. Just try to get strikes. Try to make quality pitches. Try to stay down in the zone."

Gomez did just that Saturday night, and he made it look simple. He threw six pitches. Five were strikes. It was an anti-climatic moment for this beleaguered bullpen.

Maybe the laid-back Gomez, who does not possess the typical stuff of a closer, is a good fit for the role.

"Let's put it this way: He did a good job," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "That goes to show you, you don't have to throw 96 mph to be a closer. You make quality pitches with good stuff and you got a chance."

A week ago, Mackanin said he was hesitant to use Gomez in the eighth or ninth innings because he appeared comfortable in a middle-relief spot. Desperation changed the thinking.

Gomez, 28, signed a minor-league deal before the 2015 season. He led the Phillies in appearances. The Venezuelan chopped his walk rate, a byproduct of Gomez's adjusted mindset. He does not throw hard; his fastball will top at 93 mph.

But opposing hitters made weaker contact against Gomez, who had a 3.01 ERA in 65 games last season. He rolled more ground balls. He was luckier on fly balls.

"Last year, I tried to attack the hitters," Gomez said. "I didn't want to be too fine in the zone. That's what I had a problem with in past years. So I tried to be aggressive in the zone and be down."

And, for now, that is enough to qualify him as the Phillies closer.