The New York Yankees lost ace Gerrit Cole, at least for one start, because of general body soreness. That forced them to make some changes in their starting rotation and they were forced to call up Triple-A right-hander Will Warren to start on Tuesday in Philadelphia against a top offense like the Phillies’.
Warren was a strong candidate to be dealt himself ahead of the 6:00 pm ET deadline on Tuesday. Not only did he make it through that hour, but he made his first start as a Yankee and impressed in the process.
Will Warren posts strong performance in MLB debut
In the second inning, it looked like it was going to be a short night for the Yankees’ young right-hander. He surrendered a three-run home run to Austin Hays, after having conceded a run in the opening frame. Just like that, he had put his team in a 4-1 hole after being given a 1-0 lead before he even took the ball.
But Warren showed toughness and determination and didn’t let that Hays long ball faze him. He settled down and silenced the Phillies’ bats long enough to give the Yankees a chance to win, and they did just that in extra-innings.
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All things considered, Warren surrendered four runs in 5.1 innings, with four hits, two walks, and six strikeouts. He looked like an MLB starter out there and could have earned another start, depending on the Yankees plans.
Warren has a horrible 6.11 ERA in 95.2 Triple-A innings, but most of that is due to a terrible start to the season. He boasts a 4.03 ERA in his last 10 starts and a 2.91 mark in four outings since the start of July.
Teams were probably scared about his early-season performance, but Warren gives the Yankees a legitimate option to start games should a need arise and demonstrated on Tuesday that he is competent, determined, and mentally strong.
It was a good night for the young right-hander.
