The New York Yankees, a team that needs pitching reinforcements after the recent injury outbreak, got some excellent news on Sunday after watching one of their young guns take the hill against the New York Mets.
Deivi Garcia, who is only 21 years old, dominated a very good offense for six innings, with no walks, six strikeouts, zero earned runs and notable poise and command of his pitches, especially a good fastball and a fantastic curveball.
One of the most important takeaways from his major league debut is the zero walks. For a guy that averaged more than 4.00 bases on balls per each nine innings at every minor league stop last year, that is a huge development.
It was what caught the attention of Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez. Over the years, Pedro has shown that he is a proud Dominican before a Red Sox icon. He has praised fellow countryman Luis Severino and now is doing the same with Garcia.
“Congrats to 21-year-old Dominican pitcher Deivi Garcia on an excellent debut for the Yankees,†Martinez tweeted. “He did a great job at mixing his pitches. His body looked stable and fully extended. I was impressed with the way he commanded his pitches.â€
An effective outing for the Yankees prospect
The young New York Yankees prospect threw a total of 75 pitches, 51 of them in the strike zone.
“Deivi Garcia’s presence on the mound was outstanding, and his balance on the mound was too,†Martinez also tweeted.
Garcia, who is now giving the Yankees some hope (and flexibility) in the hours leading to Monday’s trade deadline, said he felt good on the mound.
“I wasn’t nervous,” GarcÃa said through a interpreter according to MLB.com. “I definitely understood the task in front of me, and I wanted to do the best I could to help my teammates.”