Pinstripe Alley May 12, 2021
Yankees 1, Rays 0: The Cole train is unstoppable
Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/ Despite getting next-to-no help from his offense, Gerrit Cole silenced the Rays’ bats for a fourth consecutive Yankee win. One run was all that was needed as Gerrit Cole carried the Yankees to the one-yard line with eight scoreless innings, before Aroldis Chapman slammed the door shut on the Rays in the ninth. With the win, the Yankees secured their first series win against the Rays in St. Pete in almost exactly two calendar years. Tomorrow, they’ll have a chance to complete the sweep at the Trop, same as they did from May 10th-12th of...
Pinstripe Alley May 8, 2021
Aroldis Chapman is well on his way to a career year with the Yankees
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports The Cuban Missile didn’t allow any earned runs in April and is off to a perfect start in May, as well. The Yankees slumped through their first few games of the season badly enough to fall to 6-11 at one point, their worst start since 1991. Although they fell back to .500 last night, they’ve still been playing better lately, going 10-5 since the poor beginning. Several players have gone hot and cold during the first five weeks of the season, but we can safely say that there have been two consistently dominant players on the roster whose...
Newsday May 2, 2021
Aroldis Chapman in the zone so far this season
Yankees closer has faced 35 batters and has 24 strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA.
Pinstripe Alley May 2, 2021
Yankees 2, Tigers 0: The Corey Kluber Show
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports The righthander recorded his 100th career win in a dominant showing We had a classic pitching duel in the Bronx today. The Yankee offense was a little sleepy against José Ureña, but the team’s pitching picked them up — and how! Corey Kluber was masterful over eight shutout innings, Aroldis Chapman continued his stretch of dominance to open the season, and the Yankees finally notched their first sweep of the year, setting aside the Detroit Tigers 2-0. Let’s get right to it: Corey Kluber looked stellar today in the 100th win of his...
Pinstripe Alley Apr 29, 2021
Luis Cessa is making it work with a unique pitch mix
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports The reliever is using an extreme slider-heavy approach, more than ever before, and it seems to work for him When assembling their bullpen for the 2021 season, the Yankees probably viewed Luis Cessa as more of a low-leverage pitcher as opposed to one in the same tier as Aroldis Chapman, Chad Green, or Darren O’Day, for example. He is the quintessential good-but-not-great bullpen arm that hasn’t always been “good” in the past. For his career, Cessa has a 4.24 ERA and a 4.75 FIP — respectable numbers, for sure, but nothing special....
Pinstripe Alley Apr 25, 2021
Jonathan Loaisiga has been one of the best relievers in baseball
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports The hard-throwing righty has forced his way into the inner circle of trust in the Yankees bullpen. Many have remarked upon the Yankees bullpen through the first three weeks of the season and how it has been the saving grace of the team. That is no exaggeration, as the Yankees relievers lead all of baseball in ERA (2.08), FIP (2.94), and fWAR (1.9). Even without their setup man Zack Britton, players have stepped up all over the depth chart with important contributions. Aroldis Chapman is pitching perhaps the best of his career, while even...
