“He has the capability of doing that anytime he touches the mound" - New York Yankees starter is in awe of relief pitcher as Michael King strikes out eight against the Cleveland Guardians
Michael King dominated the Cleveland Guardians batters throughout his three innings of relief. He induced 12 swinging strikes and fanned eight of the ten batters he faced, including the last seven.
The New York Yankees beat the Cleveland Guardians 4-1 on Friday night. Aaron Judge slugged two home runs to back King's dazzling performance on the mound.
Michael King struck out SEVEN in a row and eight overall in relief 🤯
(MLB x @CueHealth) https://t.co/HswhOxKcCf
"Michael King struck out SEVEN in a row and eight overall in relief." - MLB
King relieved Jameson Taillon, who had only allowed one run in five innings. King faced ten hitters and struck out eight. King gave up a single to Amed Rosario and a groundout to Josh Naylor. He struck out Bobby Bradley to close the sixth inning. He whiffed the side in the seventh and eighth innings, coming one strikeout shy of Ron Davis' 1981 Yankees record of eight consecutive strikeouts.
Michael King tonight 🔥
3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 8 SO, 0 BB, 42 P
Season ERA: 0.84 https://t.co/rqRavunslP
"Michael King tonight: 3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 8 SO, 0 BB, 42 P | Season ERA: 0.84" - Talkin' Yanks
King joined Ron Davis and Ryne Duren as the third pitcher in team history to record at least eight strikeouts in three innings of relief.
Yankees starter Jameson Taillon said:
“He’s a really talented dude. He has the capability of doing that anytime he touches the mound. He’s fearless. He attacked José Ramírez like I’ve never seen anyone else attack him, so he’s not scared of the big moment and big hitters.”
Career Highlights Of Michael King:
King was a pitcher and outfielder for Bishop Hendricken High School, and in his junior year, he helped the club capture the Division I state title.
In 2013,he won the Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year award. He earned a record of 7-0 with a 0.30 ERA with 67 strikeouts and seven walks in 47 innings.
King was taken in the 12th round of the 2016 MLB draft by the Miami Marlins. He signed with the rookie-level Gulf Coast Marlins. He made his professional debut that season before being promoted to the Class A-Short Season Batavia Muckdogs. He then moved up to the Class A South Atlantic League's Greensboro Grasshoppers.
The Marlins traded King and international signing bonus money to the New York Yankees for Caleb Smith and Garrett Cooper after the 2017 season.
As a non-roster player in 2019, the Yankees welcomed King to Spring Training. In his MLB debut, he pitched two innings in relief against the Texas Rangers. Last season, King notched a 3.55 ERA in 63.1 innings pitched.
King threw an immaculate inning against the Boston Red Sox in 2021, striking out three batters on only nine pitches. It was the sixth immaculate inning in Yankees history and the first in the rivalry's history.
The Yankees put King in the bullpen to start the 2022 season. On April 14, he recorded his first major league saves.