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The Baltimore Orioles' newly minted closer, Felix Bautista, slammed the door shut Tuesday night with a win against the Chicago White Sox, growing his legend even further.

Bautista has claimed the role of closer over the last three weeks, replacing All-Star Jorge Lopez, who was traded to Minnesota. It's a stunning climb from the beginning of 2021 when Bautista started in Single-A Aberdeen.

"The Mountain" -- a perfectly natural nickname for the 6-foot-5-inch-tall Bautista -- and what a first impression The Mountain will leave.

"The first time I saw him last year, I was in Durham, and then toward the end of the year, he was in Norfolk, and I'm like, 'Man, this dude's huge.' I'm sitting in the bullpen, not thinking anything of it -- big guys, they don't throw too hard -- and this guy's throwing 99 (mph) on our gun and it's two down, every pitch. I'm thinking, 'What in the world? Who is this guy?' (I) didn't know his name, nothing. And then show up to spring training this year and I'm like, 'Oh, (he's) just a big, silly nice guy who throws a million mph,'" Orioles relief pitcher Joey Krehbiel said.

Bautista showed his potential with the Aberdeen Iron Birds, closing out a game with 101 mph gas in 2019. But the command of his pitches is what made his journey to the big leagues a nine-year process. The individual work during the pandemic in 2020 while the Minor League season was canceled made a difference.

"He was sending videos in where he was starting to routinely throw 100, 101 (mph) and was facing live hitters. So, he really put his work in," Orioles pitching coach Chris Holt said.

Part of what makes Bautista so effective is fear. With a 102-mph pitch to the elbow of Chicago's Eloy Jimenez, that has to keep a hitter from digging in too deep. But Bautista didn't let that moment keep him from doing his job, earning the first five-out save of his career Tuesday night.

"It wasn't what I had planned going into the game, but the game kind of called for it, just the way (Luis) Robert comes up with two runners on and we're up two. I just want to put my best guy out there at that time," Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said.

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