The New York Yankees are no strangers to pitching surprises, but few could’ve seen Mark Leiter Jr. emerging as one of their most reliable arms this season.
After a rollercoaster 2024 filled with strikeouts, walks, and enough command issues to make a pitching coach reach for the antacids, Leiter has found a new gear in 2025 — and it’s humming like a well-tuned engine.
A New Version of Leiter on the Mound
Strikeouts have always come naturally to Leiter, like a magician pulling rabbits out of a hat. Walks, however, used to trail behind him like a dark cloud. This year, though, the rain has stopped.
On Sunday, he polished off another perfect inning with three strikeouts, continuing a breakout campaign that feels like the work of a completely different pitcher.
His 2.92 ERA is not just good — it’s transformative compared to last year’s 4.50 mark split between the Yankees and Cubs. Even more impressive? Leiter’s ERA was an uninspiring 4.98 with the Yankees last year. Now, the man is carving hitters up with precision.
Mastering Command and Controlling Chaos
Leiter has taken the mound 14 times this season and surrendered earned runs in just two of those outings. Since April 2, he’s been nearly untouchable: a jaw-dropping 0.90 ERA, a 1.35 FIP, and a sparkling 2/13 walk-to-strikeout ratio over 10 innings.
If pitching were painting, Leiter would be swapping wild splashes of color for sharp, detailed brush strokes.
Even his underlying numbers suggest this surge is no mirage. A 2.40 FIP indicates that his real performance might be even better than what the box scores show.
Tweaking the Arsenal: Less Sinker, More Curveball
One major reason behind Leiter’s evolution is his reshaped pitch mix. He’s scaled back his sinker usage (28.6% this year versus 34% last season) and fallen in love with his curveball, throwing it far more often — bumping its usage from 16.9% last year to 25.1% now.
Like a chef refining a signature dish, he’s removed unnecessary ingredients: the sweeper is mostly off the menu now. The swing-and-miss ability? Still there, as dependable as sunrise. But where he’s truly elevated his game is in contact management: opponents aren’t just swinging and missing — they’re making weaker contact when they do connect.
His hard-hit rate has plummeted from a worrying 40% to a league-best 20% in 2025.
Small Sample, Big Hopes
Sure, the sample size isn’t huge — it’s more like a snack than a full-course meal — but the Yankees have every reason to savor it. In a bullpen full of big names and big arms, Mark Leiter Jr. is quietly turning himself into one of the most reliable weapons in the Bronx arsenal.