Sure, it’s only seven games into a long season.
But after heading into the season with Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt sidelined and more than a few question marks surrounding a bullpen that lost Luke Weaver and Devin Williams in the offseason, a historic start to the regular season probably wasn’t considered likely.
With another solid effort by Will Warren and a dominant effort by the bullpen, though, the Yankees’ pitching continues to be elite.
After an 8-2 win over Miami in the home opener in The Bronx, the Yankees have allowed just eight runs in seven games.
That matches the fewest runs by a team in MLB history — along with the 1993 Braves and 2002 Giants.
And the rotation has given up four runs in those games, tied for the best since 1900, matching the 2018 Red Sox and the ’93 Braves.
In Friday’s win, Warren was backed up by Tim Hill — who escaped the two-on, one-out jam Warren left in the sixth — Jake Bird, Brent Headrick and Ryan Yarbrough, as the bullpen combined to toss 3 ¹/₃ shutout innings.
Aaron Judge noted what’s made the staff so tough overall.
“They’re dictating at-bats,’’ Judge said of his teammates. “They put pressure on guys at-bat after at-bat. We’re feeding off them.”
To Judge’s point, the Yankees didn’t issue a walk on Friday, while striking out 10.
Warren, who survived some rough outings last season, bounced back from a pair of solo homers to pitch into the sixth. After and after Hill got Liam Hicks on a soft comebacker to end the inning, Bird entered and continued his promising start to the year, as he and the lefty Headrick retired all six batters they faced before Yarbrough finished it after Ben Rice put the game away with a two-run double in the eighth.
“We’re playing great baseball,’’ Cody Bellinger said. “It’s unbelievable. Starting with the starters — all four — and the bullpen coming in every time, it makes it easier on the offense.”
Aaron Boone praised Bird and Headrick, perhaps the latest in a long line of reclamation projects the Yankees will turn into reliable bullpen pieces.
Warren seemed to speak for all the Yankee pitchers when he said his key to his results Friday was being “aggressive in the zone.”
“If we attack early, the odds are in our favor,’’ Warren said. “We’re attacking early and throwing strikes and have confidence in our stuff to put us in a position to be successful. … Our lineup is a beast. We know they’re gonna put up runs.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
