While the 2023 Yankees offseason may be remembered for the acquisition of Juan Soto, it turns out that two other pickups — Marcus Stroman and Alex Verdugo — have also played important roles in the team’s success thus far in 2024.
Evidence of that was on display Monday night’s game against the Seattle Mariners. Stroman pitched a season-high 7.1 innings before giving up a run, giving the Yankees several 1-2-3 innings before relief was called in.
“I think I just had really good sequencing,” Stroman said in a YES Network interview.
“He was dealing,” said manager Aaron Boone, saying that this was one of the best outings he’s seen from Stroman.
He was met with hearty applause from the crowd as he walked off the mound to the dugout, for giving up just one run on three hits.
“I feel like that’s why we play the game, being born here and coming out of the game to a standing ovation means the world to me, trying to show the love and reciprocate the love from the crowd right back to them because they don’t know how much that means to me and how much that picks me up.”
Verdugo, meanwhile, had his brother-in-arms’ back by making defensive plays, but most importantly by driving in runs.
Three of the four runs that made it across home plate were because Verdugo put the ball in play and let his teammates make the run home. —starting in the first inning with a bases-clearing double, then in the third with an RBI single to bring home Soto. In all, Verdugo went 3 for 5 at the plate.
Holmes blows save, but team backs him up
But Stroman’s and Verdugo’s heroics, however, were ultimately undone when closer Clay Holmes came into a save situation with the Yankees leading 4-1. Coming into it, his ERA was 0.00; it spiked to 1.74 after giving up four runs in the frame.
“Yeah that one’s on me,” Holmes said in the YES Network’s post-game interview. “It was one of those outings where I felt like my stuff was there, maybe trying to go for a little too much chase. Some balls found some wholes there and they got away there.”
The phrase that kept going around was “it’s baseball,” from manager Aaron Boone, to starter Marcus Stroman and closer Clay Holmes. And that much is true. It’s just baseball, anything can happen.
Trust and faith is still strong in Holmes.
“We can sit here and say it’s been this this and this but Clay has been unbelievable. I think he’s the best closer in baseball,” Stroman said.
“I thought he threw the ball well, just didn’t really bounce our way,” Boone said.
Read More: Pete Alonso injury: Latest on Mets slugger’s hand after HBP
