When the New York Yankees needed him the most after a shaky start by Domingo German, Michael King put on the Superman suit and saved the day for the Bombers. Sadly, it didn’t result in a win as the team lost to the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday’s series finale, but the long reliever kept them in the game with a brilliant outing.
When everything was said and done, the Yankees’ right-hander, who worked diligently during the offseason to improve the effectiveness of his breaking pitches, spun six scoreless innings, with three strikeouts.
King pitched like his last name would indicate, as he proceeded to retire the last 16 Blue Jays he faced. And we are not talking about a mediocre offense.
“I was able to lock it in, was able to get ahead of almost everybody, throwing both sinker-cutter for strikes,†said King, per SNY. “Had some pretty good changeups. I was just able to get ahead of the count, and get in dugout as fast as I can, so it was good.â€
The Yankees’ righty is off to a great start
The Yankees’ pitcher famously said a few weeks ago that he doesn’t care which way he achieves it, but he wants to pitch 100 quality innings for the Bronx Bombers.
“Well he’s got six in the books, so it’s a good start for him,†said manager Aaron Boone. “Look, he’s come a long way. I feel like he, along with a few other guys, have really shown real significant improvement, and today I think proved it. He’s certainly on our board as somebody that can do a lot of things for us. … How it all adds up in the end, I don’t know, but I feel like he’s put himself in a good spot to be a real contributor.â€
The Yankees are deep at the rotation, but King will take advantage of any opportunity that appears in front of him.
“Ideally, I’d love to be a starter [but] I also pride myself in being versatile,†King said. “If I’m versatile, I feel like I’m able to be used in any circumstance, and then hopefully I kind of just get the confidence of the coaches to put me in those situations.â€