As Judge, Soto, Volpe Have an Off Night, Aaron Boone Heaps Praise On His Rescuers Clay Holmes and Luis Gil: “They Worked On Something”

it looks like the New York Yankees have found a way to combat their hitters not scoring enough runs – don’t let the other team score any. Though this has been something they have followed for quite some time now, it came to the forefront in game 3 against the Baltimore Orioles. For the first time this season, the mighty O’s were shut out. And that has led to the skipper Aaron Boone showering heaps of praise for Luis Gil and Clay Holmes. 

It was one of the best games in Luis Gil’s still-short career. In a game where the Yankees’ big hitters like Aaron Judge and Juan Soto couldn’t do much, everything came down to Gil’s pitching. To his credit, the fire-breathing pitcher made it look easy when he struck out 5 batters and gave up only one walk, an important stat for the player who has been rebuked for his tendency to give away high walks. 

On the other hand, Holmes’s five-out save finalized the Yankees’ win. Holmes was tasked with facing the top of the order with the Bronx Bombers in a sticky situation. The pitcher signaled his arrival by striking out Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutchmann in seven pitches. Similarly, in the 9th inning, he destroyed the Orioles’ lineup and recorded his 10th save of the year. “He was really sharp. Obviously, Clay’s off to a great start this year and throwing the ball incredibly well,” Boone said during his post-game interview.

Later the skipper noted that Holmes’ pitches, particularly his “slider and sinker had a little extra,” to them. However, it was his words for Gil that showed the belief the Yankees’ skipper had in his pitchers. “They worked on something just from a delivery standpoint,” Boone said. The skipper loved how Gil found a way to improve despite the injury setback.

“Some of the last things to come are really owning your delivery and sometimes that’s what makes great starting pitcher…I think he (Gil) made some really good adjustments,” Boone said. But what was it that led to Gil’s improvement?

How the Yankees and Luis Gil changed things up for the pitcher

Last Friday, Luis Gil had perhaps his worst outing of the season. The pitcher gave up 5 runs to the Milwaukee Brewers. However, things completely changed after that game. In his initial 24 ⅔  innings, Gil had walked 19 batters! As a result, he worked with the pitching coach, Matt Blake. The coach helped him in refining his mechanics and identifying his issues.

“It doesn’t matter who you’re facing,” Gil said according to the New York Post. “Once you’re locked in and you’re concentrating on what you want to do, that’s really it.” The Yankees pitcher has been especially focusing on his concentration this season. Now that his methods are starting to work, the future looks particularly bright for him.

The same can be said for the New York Yankees. After all, with a 2-0 win over the Orioles, they now have a chance to equalize the series today. But will they succeed?