What do the 2016 World Champion Chicago Cubs and the 2020 World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers have in common with the 2022 New York Yankees? One guess: Dominant Starting Pitching. I mean uttering those words almost makes me weep. This team continues to win and starting pitching is giving them the runway to do it.
"The starting pitching has been akin to a lock-down playoff goalie. No game gets away, they are all winnable. And the rotation has been nearly flawless. In the previous two games, Jameson Taillon and Gerrit Cole became the first teammates in the expansion era (since 1961) to author at least six perfect innings in consecutive contests. Severino joked that maybe he would be traded if he didn’t keep up," reported Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
And this conversation about stellar starting pitching can't be had without the Yankee silent ace Nestor Cortes Jr. No one expected Cortes to put up the numbers he has in the first quarter of the season. "Cortes has the lowest ERA in the majors at 1.50 through 10 starts. He’s also got the lowest batting average against at .178. He’s been the most fun Yankees pitcher to watch, and it’s not even close. All from a guy the Yankees weren’t sure would even stick in their rotation all year," reported NJ.com
There also just seems to be this renewed confidence, perhaps a sigh of relief that the defense, play calling, and planning that the catching platoon is giving this pitching staff that is putting the rotation in such a consistent groove and equally setting up the relief pitchers for success.
"Removing the drama, trauma and bad defense of Gary Sanchez has helped. Kyle Higashioka and Jose Trevino are central to the game-planning beforehand and are superb pitch framers, game callers and pitcher whispers. And the universal acceptance of PitchCom has led to less confusion, greater clarity (especially in the various ways to deal with a running game), and better pace," reported the Post.
Sure there is the slugging and consistent hitting, but without good pitching, teams simply don't win and they don't contend for a championship. The Yankees seem to have it all, the run support, a good solid infield, strong starting pitching, and a deep bullpen. Yep, the Yankees starting rotation is World Series good. And let's hope they keep getting better and stronger as the very long regular season keeps chugging along.
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-- Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof
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