Despite the Yankees’ loss to the Mariners on Monday, Aaron Judge praised his team’s pitching staff.
Much of the excitement surrounding the New York Yankees in 2024 has been around the productivity of their bats, particularly the Juan Soto acquisition, which has turned out even better than the Yankees hoped. However, if the Yankees’ bats were producing, they would not be off to such a good start in the 2024 season. Even after Monday’s 5-4 loss to the Seattle Mariners, Aaron Judge noted that the Yankees’ pitching corps continues to impress.
Judge, who had won seven straight games before losing to the Mariners, voiced his admiration for the Yankees’ recent pitching success. On Monday, it was Marcus Stroman’s time to provide a gem. Stroman was a workhorse, pitching 7.1 innings and surrendering only one earned run on three hits, while striking out six and walking one. It’s terrible that they still lost, but that shouldn’t detract from how impressive the Yankees’ starting rotation has been in recent games.
“That’s why we hired those men. It’s been amazing to see them do their thing; each one is trying to outdo the other after each start,” Judge told reporters, via SNY Yankees on Twitter (X).
It takes a team effort to get out to a scorching 33-16 start, and the Yankees now have the second best record in the MLB. The Yankees will be hoping that the bullpen can recover from Clay Holmes’ four-run ninth inning on Monday, but their starting rotation is more than up to the task.
Yankees’ pitching staff, on a roll
The Yankees’ rotation has been exceptional recently, with multiple starters delivering standout performances. Alongside Marcus Stroman’s strong 7.1-inning outing against the Mariners, pitchers like Luis Gil, Nestor Cortes, Clarke Schmidt, and Carlos Rodon have also been impressive.
Cortes and Rodon, both former All-Stars, have the pedigree to be held to higher standards. However, their success in 2024 wasn’t a given, as both experienced injury-plagued seasons in 2023. This year, though, they’ve remained healthy and have anchored a Yankees rotation that continues to deepen. Stroman, the Yankees’ major offseason pitching acquisition, has also largely lived up to expectations.
Additionally, the development of Gil and Schmidt has been crucial for rounding out the rotation, with both exceeding expectations. Gil recently struck out 14 batters in a game against the struggling Chicago White Sox, while Schmidt, after a mediocre 2023 season with 32 starts, has shown significant improvement in his first nine games of 2024.
As the season starts, the Yankees boast the best pitching in the MLB based on ERA. The prospect of this already talented rotation improving further, especially with the potential return of their key player, is a daunting thought for other teams.
New York is doing all this without Gerrit Cole
There was significant concern about the Yankees’ pitching when Gerrit Cole appeared to suffer a serious injury just before the start of the 2024 season. Cole’s elbow injury has kept him sidelined since April, and his return date remains uncertain. However, there is some good news as he recently made significant progress in his recovery.
Cole has been one of the MLB’s top starters for the past decade, consistently demonstrating his durability by pitching over 200 innings in a season six times, including in 2023. His track record as a workhorse is impressive.
Surprisingly, the Yankees might face a dilemma about who Cole will replace in the starting rotation once he returns. The current rotation has been performing exceptionally well, which raises the question of whether the Yankees might adopt a six-man rotation to maintain the health of their pitchers. Given Cole’s age, this strategy could help manage his workload, especially since all five current starters are performing admirably.
Despite entering the season with many pitching uncertainties, the Yankees have exceeded expectations in nearly the first 50 games. They now lead the AL East standings, showing significant growth potential.
Leave a Reply