Kansas alumni are making noise in bullpens on opposite coasts this week, with Ryan Zeferjahn and Blake Weiman both turning in notable performances as the MLB regular season hurtles toward its finish line.
Zeferjahn Earns the Hero Cape in Chicago
Ryan Zeferjahn picked up a save in the Cubs' nerve-wracking 6-5 win over the Marlins on Saturday, cementing his status as one of Chicago's many bullpen contributors in what has been an unusually crowded closer committee. The former Jayhawk became the 14th Cub to record a save this season — a figure that underscores just how fluid Chicago's late-inning roles have been all year.
It wasn't a pristine outing by the numbers — Zeferjahn carries a 4.15 ERA on the season — but results are results, and he got the job done when the Cubs needed it most. His week began on a rougher note: in a September 7 appearance against the Brewers, he allowed an earned run in just a third of an inning, though he did punch out a batter. The bounce-back save against Miami, where he also struck out a batter in 0.1 innings, was a timely response.
The Cubs' win over the Marlins was a grinder, a one-run affair that required every last out from Chicago's patchwork bullpen. Zeferjahn delivered the final one.
Weiman Quietly Building a Gem of a Season in Anaheim
While Zeferjahn grabbed the headline, Blake Weiman may be the more quietly impressive story of the two. The Angels left-hander has posted a 2.03 ERA on the season — a figure that would rank among the game's elite relievers — and continued to look sharp during the week's action.
Weiman threw two scoreless innings with a strikeout against Washington on Saturday in a 5-6 Angels loss, a strong outing wasted by an offense that couldn't get the job done. Earlier in the week, on September 7 against the Red Sox, he tossed a clean inning of relief. The Angels may be out of playoff contention, but Weiman is giving the organization every reason to count on him heading into next season.
A 2.03 ERA is the kind of number that earns offseason conversations, arbitration leverage, and — most importantly — the trust of a manager in high-leverage moments. Weiman has been one of the under-the-radar success stories of the Angels' season, and Kansas fans should be watching closely.
The Jayhawk Bullpen Pipeline
With two pitchers generating legitimate MLB moments in the same week, Kansas's reputation as a quiet but consistent producer of professional arms gets another data point. Zeferjahn and Weiman represent different profiles — one a high-leverage closer type navigating a committee role in a contender's bullpen, the other a polished lefty specialist quietly assembling an elite ERA on a rebuilding club — but both are proving that the Jayhawk arm factory is very much open for business.
No other Kansas alumni posted significant stats during the September 6–12 window, but with Collin Baumgartner (Rockies), Wes Benjamin (Padres), Evan Shaw (Dodgers), and Hunter Cranton (Mariners) all still active, the alumni board remains well-populated as rosters expand down the stretch.
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