MILWAUKEE — Felipe Vazquez has a 20-acre farm in Florida that requires his attention. The grass needs cut. A fence must be repaired after a few storms ripped through the area. Each item will be marked by his sister, Prescilla Vazquez Cosme, who is also his agent, on a to-do list at the conclusion of his first full season as the Pirates' closer.
He's already asked to take two days off before beginning that work. After all, Vazquez's sister gave him one task back in May that required tireless hours in the bullpen and altered the course of his season. Vazquez, 27, has converted 24 straight save opportunities, the longest active streak in the majors, capped by his high-wire ninth inning to close out a 3-2 win over the Brewers on Sunday at Miller Park
His 34 saves rank third in the National League, though his latest work included two home runs allowed. Yet, only a few months ago, on May 31 in St. Louis, he blew his fourth save in five tries with a walkoff grand slam. He was tipping his pitches. His electric fastball wasn't enough to overpower hitters. Immediately afterwards, he called his sister, who gave him one directive: relax.
"I think everyone goes through something like this," Vazquez told DKPittsburghSports.com. "Last year, the mentality for me this year was try to do the same thing I did last year. I came in with that same mentality, but it didn’t happen. You have to figure it out."
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