Three Yankees takeaways: Historic start fueled by starting pitching dominance (2024)

NEW YORK — There was widespread skepticism in spring training surrounding the New York Yankees’ starting rotation when it lost Gerrit Cole, the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, to an elbow injury that would sideline him for at least two months.

That meant Carlos Rodón, the Yankees’ $162 million man, needed to bounce back after battling three different injuries and pitching to a 6.85 ERA; Nestor Cortes had to recover from an injury-riddled 2023; Clarke Schmidt needed to show a career-high workload in 2023 wouldn’t affect him; and Marcus Stroman, a 2023 All-Star who didn’t receive overwhelming interest in free agency, had to put aside years-long beef with the organization and fans he’d spar with on social media.

The Yankees missed out on Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. They passed on Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery in free agency. Despite all of that, the Yankees have the third-best starting rotation ERA.

“It’s really cool to see those guys out there grinding every day and doing what they’re doing,” Juan Soto said of the starting pitchers. “There’s a reason why we’re in first place. They’ve been commanding the team the right way. They’ve been helping the offense when the offense is off and when the offense is on, too. They’ve been great day in and day out. I think they’re a huge part.”

Yankees starting pitchers have gone 7-0 with a remarkable 0.80 ERA during the team’s seven-game winning streak, which continued Sunday with a 7-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox. Each of the starters has pitched at least six innings and allowed two or fewer runs, which is just the fifth time since 1973 that the Yankees have had such a streak over any seven-game span.

After sweeping the Chicago White Sox, the Yankees are now 33-15. Since the start of the Expansion Era in 1961, this is the fourth time in franchise history that the Yankees have begun a season with a record of 33-15 or better (1994, 1998, 2022).

Here are three takeaways on just how special the Yankees’ starting rotation has been.

Luis Gil, eerily similar to Gerrit Cole

The Yankees replaced Gerrit Cole in the rotation with … Gerrit Cole. That’s how oustanding Luis Gil has been this season. Through his first nine starts of the season, his numbers nearly mirror Cole’s from last season, as first noted by YES Network’s Conor Foley.

Gil struck out 14 White Sox hitters on Saturday afternoon, breaking Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez’s franchise record for most strikeouts by a rookie pitcher. Stroman, who’s become close with Gil, gifted two bottles of wine from his label Le Carénage on Sunday to congratulate the pitcher.

It’s still early, but Gil is a prime candidate to win the American League Rookie of the Year award, along with Oakland A’s closer Mason Miller and Baltimore Orioles left fielder Colton Cowser. And if Gil continues pitching like this, he’ll be an All-Star and possible Cy Young Award candidate, too.

Gil’s emergence as a top-of-the-line starter has turned into one of the most unexpected storylines of the season. He was optioned to minor-league camp in early March because the Yankees were being cautious with him returning from Tommy John surgery. But Gil kept shining in spring training. An eight-strikeout performance against the Phillies, including a Bryce Harper punchout on a 100 mph fastball, captured the attention of the organization.

Manager Aaron Boone will have a difficult decision to make regarding who moves to the bullpen when Cole returns, which is still several weeks away. While Gil doesn’t have a traditional innings limit, his workload will be monitored, which means he’s the likeliest candidate to lose his spot in the rotation.But it would be a good problem for Boone to have because it would mean every starter is still healthy.

A year makes a difference

Other than Giancarlo Stanton, Rodón had the most scrutiny of any Yankee coming into the season. Rodón’s first spring training outing, the first time his fastball velocity dipped in March, his first start of the season and his first home start all came with significant interest because of how poorly Year 1 of a six-year contract went.

He’s answered just about every question in Year 2. Out of every pitcher who threw at least 50 innings last season, Rodón has the biggest decrease in ERA (3.58) this year. After holding the White Sox to just two runs in six innings on Sunday, Rodón’s ERA is down to 3.27 this year.

Solid 6 innings for Rodón 👊 pic.twitter.com/rN22WH2fFp

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 19, 2024

“I think he embodies what our rotation has been,” Boone said Sunday. “I always reference going back to the winter with him because that’s where it all started with an excellent foundation carried right into spring training and just continued to build the house brick by brick. The work has been good every day, the focus has been good every day, the adjustments, and it’s given him the opportunity to go out and let his talent shine.”

Part of Rodón’s development this offseason was becoming more versatile. He’s always predominantly been a two-pitch starter with his fastball and slider, but he’s using both pitches less than last season and has incorporated a changeup and cutter. His changeup Sunday was particularly effective, registering seven whiffs on nine swings.

But perhaps more important than that, Rodón feels at ease this year, which wasn’t the case last season.

“I sit down in the dugout now and I look around and feel pretty comfortable sitting in the stadium,” Rodón said. “I thought about that in April. I felt comfortable sitting down and looking around. This doesn’t feel overwhelming anymore. This feels like home, which is nice. That makes a huge difference.”

Clarke Schmidt’s emergence

Since tellingThe Athletic his next goal was getting deeper into games, Schmidt tied his career high in innings pitched with 6 2/3 against the Tampa Bay Rays and then eclipsed that by completing eight innings against the Minnesota Twins.

Part of the reason why Schmidt wasn’t getting the opportunity to get deeper into games was because almost all of Schmidt’s struggles this season came in the sixth inning. Seven of his 14 earned runs this year have come in the sixth, and opposing hitters have a 1.028 OPS against him the third time through the order.

“Obviously, you have to earn that right to stay in those games,” Schmidt told reporters Thursday. “You gotta earn that right to be able to face lineups three times and earn that trust factor. That’s something I’m trying to do every time I go out there and make (Boone) feel comfortable giving me the ball in the sixth, seventh, eighth innings. Definitely a step in the right direction these past two starts.”

Schmidt’s 2.49 ERA is second only to Gil’s 2.39 on the Yankees. After cracking the rotation last season partly because of injuries, Schmidt has become one of the Yankees’ most consistent starters this season and one of the key reasons why this team has the best record in the American League.

(Photo of Luis Gil: Quinn Harris / Getty Images)

Chris Kirschner is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the New York Yankees. He previously covered the Atlanta Hawks from 2018-2022 for The Athletic. Chris was named Georgia's Sportswriter of the Year in 2021 for his work covering the Hawks. Chris is a native of Bronx, NY. Follow Chris on Twitter @chriskirschner