ST. PETERSBURG — Bryan Baker saved all three Tampa Bay Rays victories over the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series, extending a franchise-record 33-consecutive-save streak that began May 17 and now stretches into the deepest stage of the postseason the Rays have reached in years.

The 31-year-old right-hander faced just 10 batters across the three ALDS games, striking out four and allowing only one to reach base on a walk — no hits. He preserved one-run leads in Games 1 and 3 and a three-run edge in Game 2, sending Tampa Bay to its third American League Championship Series appearance in franchise history.

“We’ve talked about it a lot, but probably haven’t talked about it enough,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “You look at his numbers and the consecutive saves he’s gotten, I mean, there’s just so much confidence [when] we’ve got a lead late in the ballgame and definitely heading into the ninth. Is there a team that should feel better than us?”

Baker’s ALDS performance placed him in rare company. He is one of only four pitchers to record a save in each of his team’s first three postseason games since saves became an official statistic in 1969, joining Manny Corpas in 2007, Mark Wohlers in 1996 and Dennis Eckersley in 1988 and 1996. Baker is the only one of the four to accomplish the feat without surrendering a hit.

His regular-season numbers were equally striking: a 1.44 ERA, a .161 opponents’ average, a 0.91 WHIP and 2.9 Wins Above Replacement according to Baseball Reference. He tied Cleveland’s Cade Smith with 41 saves to lead the majors, joining Alex Colomé in 2017 as the only Rays pitchers to top that category. The last time Baker blew a save was May 13 — the Rays’ 42nd game of the season.

“He’s a rock, man. He’s a maniac,” veteran starter Nick Martinez said. “He’s been coming through for us all year, man, and it’s really fun to watch.”

Baker picked up his first career postseason save in Game 1 before a sold-out crowd at Tropicana Field, then closed out Game 3 at Yankee Stadium by striking out Trent Grisham on a changeup with two outs and two strikes in the ninth inning of a 4-3 victory.

“That was a different level of excitement right there,” Baker said after Game 3. “I normally black out for about three seconds. I think I blacked out for 10 seconds after that. Just to be able to get in all three of those games and close out all three is super special to me, and I just want to keep it going.”

Baker, a former Baltimore Orioles reliever who works exclusively with a fastball and changeup, credited the Rays’ organizational culture for sharpening his confidence. “For a lot of people, myself included, it’s a confidence game,” he said. “When you have a bunch of people around you that really instill that confidence in you and share that belief, it elevates your game. In your mind, when you’re that confident, you feel like you can go out and be consistent and keep doing the things that you do well.”

“He’s come through for us all season,” Martinez added. “We can’t talk enough about how great he’s been.”

Baker will next take the mound in the ninth inning of the ALCS, where the Rays open play as the AL’s top seed.