Ryan Pressly

The Boston Red Sox drafted Pressly in the 11th round, with the 354th overall selection, of the 2007 MLB Draft.[3] Pressly signed with Boston for a $100,000 signing bonus rather than attend college.[2][4] Pressly worked as a starting pitcher for the Red Sox in minor league baseball, but was converted into a relief pitcher in 2012. As a relief pitcher for the Portland Sea Dogs of the Class AA Eastern League, he pitched to a 2.93 earned run average with 21 strikeouts in 27+2⁄3 innings pitched.[5]

After the 2012 season, the Minnesota Twins selected Pressly from the Red Sox in the Rule 5 draft.[5] Pressly made the Twins' Opening Day roster.[6][7] He made his major league debut on April 4, pitching a scoreless inning, in which he struck out Torii Hunter.[8] Pressly appeared in 49 games, going 3–3 with 3.87 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 76+2⁄3 innings of work.

In 2014, Pressly began the season with the Rochester Red Wings, the Twins Triple-A affiliate, before being called up on July 23. He made 25 relief appearances, going 2–0 with a 2.86 ERA. To start the 2015 season, Pressly once again began with Rochester, before being recalled on April 28. On July 4, Pressly suffered a lat muscle strain, putting him on the 15-day disabled list, and after suffering a setback during rehab on August 17, Pressly was ruled out for the remainder of the year. On the season, Pressly made 27 appearances, going 3–2 with a 2.93 ERA.

In 2016, Pressly was primarily used as a middle reliever and setup man. On July 31, Pressly recorded his first major league save in a 6–4 win against the Chicago White Sox. For the year, Pressly appeared in 72 games (4th most in the AL), compiling a 6–7 record with a 3.70 ERA with 67 strikeouts in 75+1⁄3 innings. In 2017, Pressly remained a middle reliever and setup man. However, through the first 3 months of the season, Pressly struggled, going 1–2 with a 9.50 ERA in just 18 innings. Due to his struggles, Pressly was optioned to the minors on June 6, and was recalled on June 29. After his recall from the minors, Pressly returned to his prior form, compiling a 1–1 with a 2.75 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 39+1⁄3 innings. For the season, he was 2–3 with a 4.70 ERA in 57 relief appearances.

The 2018 season, continued to maintain his role of middle reliever and setup man. Pressly made 51 appearances, finishing with a 1–1 record with a 3.40 ERA with 69 strikeouts in 47+2⁄3 innings for the Twins.

The Twins traded Pressly to the Houston Astros for minor leaguers Jorge Alcalá and Gilberto Celestino on July 27, 2018.[9] In 26 regular season games pitched with the Astros, Pressly posted a 0.77 ERA and walked only three batters. Houston's focus on analytics was largely credited for his post-trade success.[10] The Astros analytics department had noted that Pressly had elite spin rates on his curvenall and slider, and recommended that he throw them more often.[1]

Before the 2019 season, Pressly signed a two-year contract extension with the Astros worth $17.5 million.[11] On May 17, Pressly broke Craig Kimbrel's major league record with his 39th consecutive scoreless appearance, dating back to August 10, 2018.[12] The streak reached 40 games before he allowed a run on May 24.[13] For the 2019 season, Pressly was 2–3 with three saves and a 2.32 ERA in 55 relief appearances in which he pitched 54+1⁄3 innings and struck out 72 batters (11.9 per 9 innings), and tied for the major league lead in holds (31).[14]

In 2020, Pressly was 1–3 with 12 saves (3rd in the AL) and a 3.43 ERA, in 21 innings in which he struck out 29 batters (12.4 per 9 innings) over 23 relief appearances.[15]

Pressley first became Houston's full-time closer in 2021.[16] He was selected for the second time in his Astros tenure for the All-Star Game, played at Coors Field. When his selection was announced, he had not allowed an earned run in 12 consecutive appearances, leading to a 1.54 ERA over 35 innings and a 4–1 record. He tied for first in the AL in save percentage (93.3%), and among relief pitchers in the AL, was third in ERA, fourth in WHIP (0.83) and he had tied for fifth in with 14 saves.[17] On September 23, Pressley completed a scoreless ninth in his 60th appearance of the season to seal a 9–5 victory versus the Los Angeles Angels, concluding the final condition for his contract for 2022 to fully vest. He would earn a guaranteed $10 million. Since being acquired by Houston at the 2018 trade deadline, Pressly had produced a 2.19 ERA, 0.924 WHIP, and saved 42 games in 160+1⁄3 innings. He had converted 25 of 27 save chances on the season.[16]

In 2021 he was 5–3 with 26 saves, 0.969 WHIP, and a 2.25 ERA.[18] In 64 relief appearances he pitched 64 innings, striking out 81 batters.[18] He produced the lowest walk and home run rates of his career.[19]

Pressly and the Astros agreed to terms on a new two-year contract extension on April 5, 2022. With $30 million guaranteed, it covered the 2023 and 2024 seasons, with an option for 2025.[19] Due to a case of knee inflammation, he was placed on the 10-day injured list on April 16.[20]