The Yankees made a pair of key acquisitions this offseason in hopes of capturing their first World Series since 2009, and Marcus Stroman turns out to be one of the largest.
In an offseason they traded for Juan Sotohas Stroman’s signing really improved this Yankees rotation. With so many important names like Luis Severino And Domingo German Coming out of free agency, the addition of Stroman has strengthened this Yankees rotation, especially at this amazing stage New York is in.
After Saturday night’s 4-1 win over the Padres, the Yankees are now at a season high 10 games above .500 and winners of four straight, and a lot of that is thanks to the starters, including Stroman.
The 33-year-old pitched six scoreless innings to lift the Yankees over the Padres.
“He was locked in from the jump and that’s what you love about him,” Aaron Judge
Aaron Judge: We have a lot of confidence in Stroman, that’s why we went out to get him. pic.twitter.com/Bm9tB77wNP
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) May 26, 2024 ” target=”_blank”>said YES Network’s Meredith Marakovits on the field after the win. “Especially against a good lineup like this. Against a strong team, a strong pitcher.
“We have a lot of confidence in Stroman, that’s why we went out to get him. That’s why we signed him. That’s why he wanted to come to New York. He wanted to be in big moments with a sold out crowd and a packed house and he went out there and did his thing.
Stroman’s performance on Saturday was his third quality start in a row. In that span, he gave up just one run in 19.1 innings.
Impressive considering the Yankees wanted to sign the reigning NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell this offseason. However, when Snell’s camp rejected an offer from the Yankees, the team turned to Stroman.
Snell ultimately signed a two-year contract with the Giants worth up to $62 million. Due to late signing and injuries, Snell has made just four starts and pitched to an 0-3 record and an ERA of 11.40.
After 11 starts, Stroman is 4-2 with a 2.76 ERA. The Yankees signed Stroman to a two-year, $37 million deal. Although still early, Stroman has made New York look brilliant for the signing.
“I always knew he was a competitor, but now that I get the chance to see behind the scenes how he works and how he prepares, there’s a reason why he’s been in the league so long and has had so much success” , Judge said.
Stroman’s latest gem is another example of a trend this season for the Yankees. With a lineup that included Judge and Soto, it was the starting rotation that played the biggest role in achieving the best record in the AL.
Stroman’s six scoreless innings extended the Yankees starter’s streak to 25.1 innings. His performance also marks the 12th time a Yankees starter has gone scoreless this season, which is the most in the MLB. Yankees starters did that just 11 times last year.
“Just more tone, just excellent pitching from our starters who continue to set the tone for us every day,” Aaron Boone said after the game. “It was Straw today, but I thought he was very sharp.”
“I think the other starters were incredible,” Stroman said. “It just creates a flow of energy, with each guy transferring it to the next, and we all expect each other to be great. We do all this without having the best baseball pitcher. [Gerrit] cole, that we would all like to get back. So it was a fun run.”
Cole, the reigning AL Cy Young winner, has not yet thrown a game this season, but did throw a simulated game in Tampa on Saturday. And now there’s a “chance” he could be sent on a rehab assignment next week.
Until he does, Stroman and the other starters are holding down the fort and are confident they can continue to do so until Cole returns.
“We know what we are capable of. I think we’re all just a bunch of starters who know we can be elite in this game and, like I said, the flow of information, the pitching coaches, the staff, everything is so well organized here. We all feel very confident when we go out every time.
