"Agitated for the Yankees to turn them loose a bit" - New York Yankees aces lead by example, remain unfazed by pitching staff injuries
The New York Yankees have had the best record in baseball for the majority of the season. While many will point to the lethal offense (the team currently sits third in the American League in runs per game), the true difference maker for the Bronx Bombers has been on the mound.
The New York Yankees currently have the second-best team earned run average in the American League. It's all the more impressive considering that the trio which comprises the back end of the bullpen (Zach Britton, Chad Green, and Aroldis Chapman) have been on the Injured List for various periods of time.
With the New York Yankees bullpen imploding and the offense needing to turn to emergency signings like Matt Carpenter, the starting rotation stepped up
According to Jen McCarthy of The Athletic, New York Yankees starters approached Aaron Boone and demanded more leeway and trust so they could pitch deeper into games.
After pestering the team for the month of April, management caved and allowed starters to have a longer leash. It appears that this has led to the team's success.
“…starters were petitioning for coaches to give them longer leashes in their outings and agitated for the Yankees to turn them loose a bit...Clubhouse conversation about starter usage started to swing toward pushback in late April and early May.“
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“…starters were petitioning for coaches to give them longer leashes in their outings and agitated for the Yankees to turn them loose a bit...Clubhouse conversation about starter usage started to swing toward pushback in late April and early May.“- Jen McCaffrey, The Athletic
In May, starters increased their workload by around 60%, and improved from a solid rotation to one that performed towards the top of the league. The New York Yankees rotation lowered its team earned run average by 7% and decreased its walk rate by 25% all while maintaining the same strikeout rate. Presently, every starter in the rotation has an earned run average below 3.40 with star southpaw Nestor Cortes leading the pack.
Nestor Cortes is the 1st pitcher in Yankees history with an ERA below 1.75 and at least 60 K through his first 9 games of a season.
"Nestor Cortes is the 1st pitcher in Yankees history with an ERA below 1.75 and at least 60 K through his first 9 games of a season."- Katie Sharp
In an era of openers and LOOGYs, the Yankees have departed to a philosophy that is more old-school. Aaron Boone is giving his starting pitchers a chance to prove that the game is safer in their hands than any reliever.
This, in turn, allows the relievers to relax their workload, and therefore pitch more effectively. While it's been an effective strategy so far, time will tell if this will help the Yankees come October.