Yennier Cano is arguably one of the most dominant set-up men in the game over the last two years and he has become that in a very quite fashion. Over that span the right-hander from Ciego de Ávila, Cuba has 55 holds, 11 saves and a 2.33 earned run average over that span.
His numbers earned him an All-Star selection in 2023 and should have earned one this season. Since coming over from Minnesota in a swap during the 2022 trade deadline the hurler has really found his niche in the bird’s bullpen.
Cano combined with Cionel Pérez have given the Orioles a nice Cuban one-two, lefty-righty punch out of the pen heading into the second half of the season. Expect the flamethrower to one day become the closer for the team.
You have the most holds of any reliever in over the last two years. Do you consider yourself a specialist in that?
I think so. Last year I did a good job in that regard and this year I am are trying to do similar or better. Thank God everything I have done has gone well. I want to continue improving my numbers as the season evolves.
You went to the All Star last year and this year you were the leader in holds at the time they selected the pitchers. Did it bother you that you weren’t selected to the All-Star Game?
No no. I’m not a pitcher who gets upset that easily. You know, this is a sport and there are rules, you just have to follow them. I am here to pitch and play my game. There are few things that bother me in life.
Speaking of 2023 All-Star Game and sharing the diamond with Adolis García and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. The last time you shared the field with them was in the 2016 Caribbean Series. How did it feel to reunite with them?
It was very big. Luis Robert was also there, we hadn’t seen each other in years. I played together with Luis Robert and Adolis in Cuba, so meeting them again on a baseball field was extremely great. Lourdes Jr, as you know, we played in the Caribbean Series and it was still great to share the field with him and share that beautiful moment. It made me feel as if we were playing in Cuba.
In the city of Baltimore there are not many Latinos, and even less Cubans. How did having Cionel Pérez on the team help you acclimate to the city?
Since I arrived he has always been there. Arriving here and finding a Cuban is very big. And more than that, he’s a reliever like me, so we’re back there in the bullpen and we spend more time together talking about many things. He speaks English and I don’t, so he has helped me a lot with that, too.
Would you like to one day become a closer in this league?
Everything remains in the hands of God. I have always trusted God, and he knows the plans he has for me. Today we are here and tomorrow we don’t know, so we have to live in the moment. If tomorrow I can become a closer, it will be a great blessing for me.