Luis Gil and Yankees’ Rotation Make History in Mariners Split, Aaron Boone Reflects on 6th Inning Struggles

The Bronx Bombers are back in business, and a young gun named Luis Gil is leading the charge. In the thrilling ending to the four-game series against the Seattle Mariners, the New York Yankees might have split the spoils—but it was Gil and the rest of the rotation who stole the show, etching their names in the franchise’s history.

Gil, a 25-year-old righty filling in for injured ace Gerrit Cole, has been absolutely sensational. He flirted with perfection in Thursday’s 5-0 shutout victory, allowing only one measly infield single over 6 1/3 innings. This came on the heels of his previous start when he set the Bombers’ rookie record with 14 strikeouts. With these recurrent reflections of control in his form, it looks like the kid’s got ice water running through his veins.

Perhaps more impressive than anything has been the Yankees’ rotation as a whole. They’ve now tossed 11 consecutive games where the starter has gone at least five innings, allowing two runs or fewer—a Yankees’ history first for the record books. Not even the Murderers’ Row era can boast that kind of dominance now.

“What’s been impressive is how much we’ve seen him mature, not just in 18 months [since Tommy John surgery], but in the last weeks,” manager Aaron Boone said of Luis Gil. “Every outing.”

Indeed, Gil’s rapid development has been a revelation. But it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. In Thursday’s game against Seattle, he had to work through trouble for perhaps one of the very first times this season; after a leadoff walk and back-to-back strikeouts to begin the sixth inning, Gil walked another batter that prompted pitching coach Matt Blake to visit him on the mound.

“I felt like they worked him there in the sixth, and you saw him start to miss, walk a couple guys there,” Boone admitted in the post-game conference. “But you still have so much confidence in his ability to get out of it.”

And get out of it he did, inducing a rotation-wide shutout to end the threat… which led to Luis Gil receiving a standing ovation from a crowd of some 43,000 fans, reports MLB Yankees’ Bryan Hoch.

Not only that, Gil’s 6-1 season record improved after Thursday, and he now has a 2.11 ERA from ten starts. According to Hoch, he has been the third Yankee to throw six or more scoreless innings in a row with one or fewer runs allowed in five starts since his predecessors Steve Kline (1972) and CC Sabathia (2011) achieved the same.

Gil may be a rookie by definition, but he’s definitely showing the poise and maturity of a seasoned veteran. After all, he certainly has the perfect “teacher” backing him throughout the way.

Luis Gil’s “Teacher” offers guidance as Yankees ride momentum to 18 games over .500

“It’s being focused on what I need to do out there, going out and executing a plan of attack,” he later said, via a translator. “You look at this team and the support they’ve given me all year round; a combination of many different things have led me to this.”

Of course, it’s impossible to ignore the impact of Cole’s absence. The Bombers’ ace, rehabbing from an elbow injury, has been a major loss to take note of from the mound. Yet, Gil has stepped up admirably, even drawing comparisons to Cole Train himself.

In fact, after his record-setting strikeout performance, Gil posted a video on Instagram showing Cole advising Anthony Rizzo to slow him down a bit. Gil captioned it, “Thank you, teacher,” while Cole has been reported to praise Gil’s aptitude and agile adjustments.

Luis Gil says that he has been focusing “to listen and execute” from the conversation sessions with Cole and their pitching coach, Matt Blake. “What they’ve provided has been great for me. It’s really understanding how things are going to help me out there in-game. For example, making sure that my mechanics are the same, compact and consistent.” 

To add the cherries on top, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton continue to mash, both homering in Thursday’s win, with Juan Soto chipping in with an RBI single as Anthony Volpe extended his hitting streak to 16 games.

This latest victory has now pushed the Yankees to a season-high 18 games over .500, giving them a head start on the journey for a challenging nine-game West Coast trip, but with Gil and the rotation firing on all cylinders, they’re confident in their ability to keep rolling.