Will Warren found creative way to stay loose as Yankees poured on runs

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Having 43 minutes to sit in the dugout between pitches is not ideal, but Will Warren surely did not mind, given the reason for the long wait.

The fact that it came at Sutter Health Park, where there is no access to the clubhouse or any facilities underneath from the dugouts, made it all the more unique.

But the Yankees right-hander just had to get creative as he watched his offense explode for a 13-run top of the third inning Sunday afternoon, then got back to business on the way to a 13-8 win.

Warren, who made his way out to the bullpen during the offensive onslaught to throw some pitches and stay loose after the A’s second pitching change, put up an important zero in the bottom of the third to keep a 13-3 lead intact.

He then went on to toss six strong innings in which he only gave up three runs, all of them unearned and all of them coming in the bottom of the first.

“We had the big lead, and I don’t know if I was exactly myself,” Warren said of a bottom of the third in which he gave up a pair of singles but stranded both runners. “I think I could have stepped on their throat when we wanted to. Coming back in the dugout [after the bottom of the third], [manager Aaron Boone] and I had that talk. I went back out there and finished the game strong, so that was nice to see.”

Warren had been throwing weighted balls in the small dugout early on during the Yankees’ wild inning, in which they sent 18 batters to the plate.

But as each passing teammate got on base, Warren began to realize he may need to do more to keep moving.

“I heard him kind of asking and maybe freaking out about how he was going to stay warm,” Anthony Volpe said with a smile.

So during the A’s second pitching change, Warren jogged out to the bullpen and threw about seven pitches, then ran to the mound from there to start the bottom of the third in a bizarre scene.

“Will did a good job of settling in, dealing with that long third inning,” Boone said. “When do you see a starting pitcher go down to the bullpen? I mean, it got that long. Good job by him of locking in and giving us six strong innings there.”

The only runs that Warren gave up came after Trent Grisham dropped a fly ball to shallow center field that initially got lost in the sun with two outs.

But he ultimately did not let that, or the long third inning, affect him as he lowered his ERA to 3.22 through 12 starts.

“A lot of time sitting there, and I just wanted to make sure I was sharp to go back out there after the boys put up 13,” Warren said. “Holding them to three with this offense is always going to be a good day.”