Paul Sewald Bio
Paul Stanton Sewald (born May 26, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, and Detroit Tigers. A right-handed relief pitcher, Sewald built his career on a sharp curveball and has been used primarily as a late-inning option, including work as a closer in Seattle and Arizona.
Paul Sewald Early Life and Background
Paul Stanton Sewald was born on May 26, 1990, in Las Vegas, Nevada. He grew up in the same city and attended Bishop Gorman High School, one of Nevada’s most prominent baseball programs. In his senior season in 2008, Sewald posted a 7–0 win–loss record with a 1.57 earned run average (ERA), earning All-State honors. Despite that success, he went undrafted in the 2008 MLB draft and chose to continue his playing career at the collegiate level.
His family background gave him an early connection to the sport. His father, Mark Sewald, is a former college baseball pitcher who was drafted out of high school by the Boston Red Sox in 1979. Paul Sewald’s parents are accountants, and he later followed a similar academic path. His younger brother, Johnny Sewald, is an outfielder who was selected in the 14th round of the 2015 MLB draft by the Houston Astros out of Arizona State University, giving the family two sons who reached professional baseball.
Path to Baseball
After high school, Sewald enrolled at the University of San Diego, where he played college baseball for the San Diego Toreros. As a senior in 2012, he posted an 8–4 record with a 3.09 ERA in 15 games, including 14 starts, drawing attention from MLB scouts. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of San Diego, balancing his academic coursework with the demands of a college pitching schedule.
Paul Sewald Career
Early Career (2012–2016)
The New York Mets selected Paul Sewald in the tenth round, with the 320th overall pick, of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft, and gave him a $1,000 signing bonus. He made his professional debut that same season with the Brooklyn Cyclones of the Low-A New York-Penn League, going 0–2 with a 1.88 ERA in 28 and two-thirds relief innings. In 2013, he pitched for the Savannah Sand Gnats of the Single-A South Atlantic League, compiling a 3–2 record and a 1.77 ERA in 35 relief appearances.
Sewald opened the 2014 season with the St. Lucie Mets of the High-A Florida State League and earned a midseason promotion to the Binghamton Mets of the Double-A Eastern League. Across 43 bullpen appearances between the two teams, he went 5–1 with a 1.92 ERA, and he later played in the Arizona Fall League. In 2015, he stayed with Binghamton and went 3–0 with a 1.75 ERA in 44 games. During that season, he represented the United States national baseball team at the 2015 Pan American Games, earning a silver medal. In 2016, he split the year with the Las Vegas 51s of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, going 5–3 with a 3.29 ERA in a career-high 65 and two-thirds innings.
New York Mets (2017–2020)
On April 8, 2017, the Mets promoted Sewald to the major leagues for the first time, and he made his MLB debut the same day against the Miami Marlins at Citi Field, allowing two runs in a third of an inning. He was optioned back to Las Vegas on April 13 and recalled again on May 1, then spent the rest of the 2017 season in the Mets’ bullpen. In 57 relief appearances, he went 0–6 with a 4.55 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP.
Sewald was designated for assignment by the Mets on May 26, 2019, following the promotion of Rajai Davis, before having his contract selected back to the active roster on August 16. On September 24, 2019, he earned his first MLB win in a walk-off victory against the Miami Marlins, snapping a 118-appearance winless streak that was the second-longest in MLB history. That win also ended a 14-game losing streak to begin a career, the longest in National League history. In the shortened 2020 season, he struggled to a 13.50 ERA over six innings, and the Mets non-tendered him on December 2, 2020.
Seattle Mariners (2021–2023)
On January 7, 2021, Sewald signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners organization and began the year with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers. After an early adjustment period in which he struck out 10 batters in four and one-third innings, he was selected to the active roster on May 13 and earned the win in his Mariners debut with four strikeouts. He went on to enjoy a breakout 2021 season, going 10–3 with a 3.06 ERA in 62 games and 64 and two-thirds innings while striking out 104 batters, earning praise as the biggest surprise star of Seattle’s bullpen.
In 2022, Sewald flourished again, going 5–4 with a 2.67 ERA and recording 20 saves in 64 innings. In a personal highlight that May, he returned to Citi Field and escaped a two-on jam in the seventh inning before working a clean eighth against the top of the Mets’ lineup in a 2–1 Seattle win, later saying he felt the Mets had given up on him and that it felt nice to get revenge. On January 13, 2023, he agreed to a one-year, $4.1 million contract with the Mariners, avoiding salary arbitration. He was later traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 31, 2023, as part of a package for Ryan Bliss, Dominic Canzone, and Josh Rojas.
Arizona Diamondbacks (2023–2024)
Sewald joined the Diamondbacks midseason in 2023 and quickly stepped into the closer’s role. In 20 regular-season appearances, he logged a 3.57 ERA with 20 strikeouts and went 13-for-15 in save opportunities across 17 and two-thirds innings. He remained Arizona’s closer throughout their 2023 postseason run, pitching eight consecutive scoreless appearances en route to the World Series. In Game 1 of the World Series against the Texas Rangers, he surrendered a two-run home run to Corey Seager in the ninth inning and took the extra-inning loss. He did not appear again until Game 5, giving up four runs in a non-save situation as the Diamondbacks lost the series.
He missed the start of the 2024 campaign with an oblique strain but returned to dominant form, going 11-for-11 in save opportunities with a 0.54 ERA. On August 2, 2024, after multiple blown saves inflated his ERA to 4.23, manager Torey Lovullo announced that Sewald would be removed from the closer’s role.
Cleveland Guardians (2025)
On January 22, 2025, Sewald signed a one-year, $7 million contract with the Cleveland Guardians that included a mutual option for the 2026 season. In 18 appearances for Cleveland, he posted a 1–1 record and a 4.70 ERA with 18 strikeouts and two saves across 15 and one-third innings. On July 15, 2025, he was placed on the injured list with a right shoulder strain.
Detroit Tigers (2025)
On July 31, 2025, Sewald was traded to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations. He was activated from the injured list for his Tigers debut on September 18, 2025, and made four appearances, recording a 4.15 ERA with two strikeouts across four and one-third innings. On November 6, 2025, the Tigers declined his 2026 option, making him a free agent.
Driving Style and Strengths
Sewald relies on a sharp curveball as his primary put-away pitch, complementing it with a four-seam fastball that he elevates in the strike zone. He has historically been most effective against right-handed hitters, generating swings and misses below the zone, and he has shown the ability to record three quick outs, a trait that has made him a strong fit for the closer’s role. In Seattle, refinements to his pitch usage helped him post back-to-back sub-3.00 ERA seasons and earn the trust of manager Scott Servais in high-leverage spots.
Notable Events and Milestones
One of the defining moments of Sewald’s career came on September 24, 2019, when he recorded his first MLB win in a walk-off against the Miami Marlins, ending a 118-appearance winless streak that ranked as the second-longest in MLB history. He also reached the 2023 World Series with the Arizona Diamondbacks, pitching eight consecutive scoreless postseason innings before the series turned. His silver medal with Team USA at the 2015 Pan American Games stands as his most prominent international achievement.
Paul Sewald Career Wins
Across his MLB career, Paul Sewald has piled up saves and holds in a relief role for five different franchises, with his most productive stretch coming in Seattle from 2021 to 2022, when he posted back-to-back sub-3.00 ERA seasons. He has served as a primary closer for both the Mariners and the Diamondbacks, and he earned All-Star recognition as one of the league’s most reliable late-inning arms during that peak.
MLB Highlights
Sewald’s first MLB win came on September 24, 2019, against the Miami Marlins, a walk-off result that ended the second-longest winless streak in major-league history. In 2021, he went 10–3 with a 3.06 ERA and 104 strikeouts for Seattle, and in 2022 he added 20 saves with a 2.67 ERA. In 2023, he went 13-for-15 in save chances for the Diamondbacks, then threw eight consecutive scoreless postseason innings before the World Series.
Other Performances
At the 2015 Pan American Games, Sewald helped the United States national baseball team to a silver medal. Across the minor leagues, he posted a 1.88 ERA with Brooklyn in 2012, a 1.77 ERA with Savannah in 2013, a 1.92 ERA across St. Lucie and Binghamton in 2014, and a 1.75 ERA with Binghamton in 2015, before going 5–3 with a 3.29 ERA in Triple-A Las Vegas in 2016.
Paul Sewald Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Paul Sewald’s father, Mark Sewald, is a former college baseball pitcher who was drafted out of high school by the Boston Red Sox in 1979. His parents both work as accountants, and Paul earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of San Diego, following the family trade. His younger brother, Johnny Sewald, played college baseball at Arizona State University and was selected in the 14th round of the 2015 MLB draft by the Houston Astros, making the Sewalds a two-brother professional baseball family.
Personal Life
Sewald met his wife, Molly, while he was pitching in the Arizona Fall League and she was attending Arizona State University. The couple’s first child, a daughter, was born in August 2021. The Sewald family has been based in the Las Vegas area, where Paul grew up and where he attended Bishop Gorman High School.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season began with Sewald signing a one-year, $7 million contract with the Cleveland Guardians on January 22, giving him a fresh start after a difficult finish to 2024 in Arizona. In 18 appearances for Cleveland, he went 1–1 with a 4.70 ERA, recording 18 strikeouts and two saves in 15 and one-third innings. His stint with the Guardians ended on July 15, when a right shoulder strain sent him to the injured list.
On July 31, 2025, the Guardians traded Sewald to the Detroit Tigers, where he was activated from the injured list on September 18 for his Tigers debut. In four appearances down the stretch, he posted a 4.15 ERA with two strikeouts over four and one-third innings, offering a brief late-season look for Detroit’s bullpen. On November 6, 2025, the Tigers declined his 2026 option, returning Sewald to free agency heading into the 2025–2026 offseason.