Zac Gallen Makes First Career Bullpen Appearance in Brutal Yankees Blowout

Gallen's first career relief outing.

Sep 9, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen (23) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For the first time in his eight-year major league career, Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen found himself trotting out of the bullpen and taking the mound in the seventh inning. He had never once pitched in relief in MLB — even following an opener.

Gallen, after a brutal start to his 2026 season and a multi-month layoff due to elbow inflammation, was moved to a bullpen role following an unsuccessful return debut.

That decision was officially announced on September 13, and it took five days for him to make his first relief outing.

Unfortunately for Gallen and the Diamondbacks, it came in a game that already looked bleak. The hard-hitting New York Yankees had already pummeled starter Eduardo Rodriguez for six runs in 5.1 innings. Arizona trailed 7-2 when Gallen took the mound.

How Zac Gallen performed in first bullpen appearance

Jul 1, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen (23) throws against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Gallen pitched the final three innings of Friday night's game, allowing two runs in the process. Only one was earned, due to a throwing error by first baseman Pavin Smith on a ground ball that should have been an out. He threw 68 pitches, 41 of them landing for strikes.

The issue? Gallen allowed two base hits and walked two batters in the proces. His velocity was up a touch on his slider, which was his most primarily-used offering. He was able to pick up four whiffs on 12 swings with that pitch.

His four-seam fastball, however, was once again close to nonexistent. Of those 68 pitches, only 10 were four-seams. He did not manage to pick up a whiff on six swings, and was only able to land two of them in the zone for called strikes.

Jun 9, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen (23) delivers a pitch against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's not exactly an encouraging or discouraging sign to see Gallen perform this way in a relief capacity. He did not showcase elite-level improvement with his velocity or movement, and he struggled with base traffic, as well as putting away batters. His ERA went down, but only to 6.12 on the year.

Unfortunately, even if Gallen had pitched three elite innings, the Diamondbacks would not have had much of a chance to engineer a victory. Trailing by five runs before they even came up to bat, Arizona never closed the deficit to lower than four runs on the night. They lost 9-2.

With the San Diego Padres taking down the Miami Marlins, 8-2, Arizona now sits five games back of the third and final Wild Card berth, with just eight games left on the schedule. Time is quickly running out.