JP Sears Excited to Face Former Team After 'Surprising' Trade
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OAKLAND — Leading up to the trade deadline, JP Sears saw the writing on the wall.
Knowing the Yankees were going to make some moves, while occupying a spot on the team's 40-man roster, the young left-hander knew there was a chance he could be included in a deal.
Sure enough, one day before the deadline, Sears found himself packing his bags for Oakland, sent to the Athletics in the Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino trade.
A few weeks later, Sears will have an opportunity to face his former club, scheduled to start against the Yankees on Friday night at RingCentral Coliseum.
Sears called the matchup "unique" and "exciting" after what was still a "surprising" trade, explaining that he doesn't need to make any adjustments since he treats every outing like a World Series game.
"Every time I go out there, I'm trying to fill up the zone with strikes, I'm trying to keep guys off all my pitches and just compete. It doesn't really matter who it's against or what team it's for or the history I have with that team," Sears said Thursday afternoon. "It's just about competing and having fun and doing my best."
New York traded Sears, along with lefty Ken Waldichuk, right-hander Luis Medina and infielder Cooper Bowman to Oakland for Montas and Trivino. Sears had made seven appearances with the Yankees in 2022 before the deal, spending the majority of the season down in Triple-A with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Since landing in Oakland, Sears has pitched extremely well, allowing just three runs in 15.1 frames. His start against New York on Friday will be his fourth in green and gold, a challenge against the Yankees' high-octane lineup for a left-hander that doesn't throw particularly hard and gets most of his outs from contact. Not to mention the fact that New York dropped 13 runs on Oakland in a series-opening victory on Thursday night.
"It's a really versatile lineup, a lot of power in that lineup, a lot of speed," Sears said. "A lot of different types of hitters. Obviously, they're having a great year and are looking to continue the rest of the year into the postseason. So anytime you get a chance to face a really good team that is in contention, it's really exciting."
No matter what happens on Friday, or for the rest of Sears' big-league career, the southpaw said he'll cherish his time with the Yankees and the friendships he made along that journey. He wasn't drafted by the Bombers, but he made his MLB debut in a Yankees uniform, spending five years developing within the organization.
"I feel really blessed to have worn pinstripes in my career already," Sears said. "I won't forget that."
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