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Imagine the ideal scenario for deploying a prospect in the big leagues: Low pressure, low profile, on a high note.
Luis Gil got on board from the completely opposite route. He thrived anyway.
As Gerrit Cole’s COVID replacement, after a bad outing for Triple-A Scranton / Wilkes-Barre and asked to erase the stench of a bad Yankees loss on Monday, Gil ignored those potential burdens to make his debut in the big league a resounding success, pitching six white innings in a 13-1 loss to the Orioles.
“We expect Gerrit Cole to go tonight and it’s hard news to get when your ace drops and you’re wondering how you’re going to… cover those innings,” said Aaron Boone. “For Luis to come for the first time and really shine and embrace the moment, that was much needed.”
“I feel so proud,” Gil, from the Dominican Republic, said through a translator, “because of all the work I have done and because of my family. They have always been there for me and they have given me a lot of support for so many years.
The Yankees (57-49) won one game each against the Rays (64-44) and Red Sox (63-45), who both lost, and they have now won 16 of their last 24 games. That only marked a third of those 16 wins that required no save or clearance. Laughter was rare.
And no one in the stripes laughed earlier on Tuesday when news broke that Jordan Montgomery had joined fellow starter Cole with a positive coronavirus test, creating two more gaps in the team’s starting rotation so little time. after Domingo German entered the injured list with a problem in his right shoulder. In the wake of the Yankees’ horrendous 7-1 loss to the Orioles on Monday night, a series loss to the basement dwellers of the American League East suddenly seemed possible.
Into that mess entered Gil, ranked by MLB.com as the Yankees’ sixth best minor league player, yet owning a 5.64 ERA in eight starts for Scranton, his 38 strikeouts in 30 ¹ / ₃ innings neutralized somewhat. by his 23 walks. Most recently, in Syracuse on July 27, the 23-year-old only lasted 1 ¹ / ₃ inning, getting knocked down for six runs, two hits (both at home) and four walks.
And with Tuesday’s heat, Gil dispersed four hits, walked one, and struck out six hitters, becoming the first Yankee since Sam Militello, in 1992, to pitch six or more white innings on his major league debut ( thanks to James Smyth of the YES network for 411). To turn the night into a true outing party, the Yankees relieved Gil with two other pitchers making their big-league debuts, Long Islander Stephen Ridings (one inning, three strikeouts) and Brody Koerner (two innings).
“Through all of this adversity that comes before us… we got some significant contributions from the guys who came in today,” said Boone.
Gil said that after his bad outing for Scranton, “I watched a lot of videos of this and tried to distinguish what I was doing, which was not working mechanically for me at the time. A good friend of mine gave me some advice on what to fix… I put it into action today. Not bad, considering he didn’t learn of his mission until late Monday night while in Scranton.
He’s been hitting 62 of his 88 shots, and the Orioles have only made solid contact on a few. With Yankees like Giancarlo Stanton (one homer, one single and four RBIs), Aaron Judge (one homerun and one single) and Gleyber Torres (one single, one double and one sacrifice fly) among those enjoying a very good contact against the Baltimore pitchers, the Yankees could take advantage of this one. On Wednesday, with the hot Jameson Taillon on their side, they will try to win the series.
“Hopefully this is just the start and we can continue to work together like we did tonight,” Gil said… minutes before the Yankees sent him back to Scranton. Nonetheless, he will surely get another hit, this time coming in on a much higher note.
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