Yankees Starter Dazzles in Team Debut, Return to Mound
The veteran pitcher made his first appearance in the majors since July 2022.
Saturday's doubleheader against the Cleveland Guardians provided an opportunity for veteran hurler Cody Poteet.
Prior to the doubleheader, which made up for a rainout on Friday, the New York Yankees appointed Poteet as their "27th man" and tabbed him to start the second game. The Yankees had previously won the first game, 3-2
This spot start was going to be Poteet's first start since May 25, 2022, as well as his first pitching appearance at the major league level since July 16 of that year. He would undergo Tommy John surgery in August, and would only make one minor league start in 2023.
Despite the surprising decision to go with Poteet over fifth starter Luis Gil, the 29-year-old rewarded his team's faith in him with a remarkably efficient performance. He recorded the Yankees' fifth quality start of the year by tossing six innings of one-run ball; he threw 77 pitches (50 strikes), primarily sinkers and changeups, and allowed six hits, walked none, and struck out four.
New York's lineup gave Poteet plenty of run support, building an 8-0 lead by the fifth inning, but the two runs in the top of the first was all the veteran right-hander would need. Poteet set the tone for the evening in the bottom half of the first, as he threw just nine pitches to retire Steven Kwan, Andres Gimenez, and Jose Ramirez in order.
Cleveland's first six batters went down before David Fry led off the third inning with a single, but Poteet made quick work of the next three batters to strand him. After the Yankees blew the game open in the top of the fourth by scoring four runs, Poteet needed just 11 pitches to complete the bottom half, ending the inning by inducing a double play ball from Josh Naylor.
Poteet's only blemish came in the bottom of the fifth, as former Yankee prospect Estevan Florial hit a solo shot to right field. However, the Bronx Bombers had already given Poteet an eight-run cushion to work with, so it didn't mean much in the grand scheme of things; he would also allow a double to Gabriel Arias in the same inning, but he stranded him there by getting Brayan Rocchio to ground out one pitch later.
The sixth inning was the only one where Cleveland got real traffic on the bases against Poteet; Kwan and Josh Naylor both singled, but a pair of flyouts were sandwiched between them. The righty then got out of the jam and concluded his excellent effort by striking out Ramon Laureano on a nasty sweeper that was located just off the corner of the strike zone.
Poteet's quality start was not only a pleasant surprise, but it allowed the Yankees to preserve some of their bullpen arms in the process. In the previous game of the doubleheader, New York got five innings out of Clarke Schmidt but needed a combination of Caleb Ferguson, Ian Hamilton, and Clay Holmes to lock down the victory, with Hamilton pitching two innings. But thanks to Poteet and the lineup creating a large lead to work with, the Bronx Bombers were able to secure the win with two innings from Dennis Santana and one frame from Ron Marinaccio.
Ultimately, the Yankees swept the doubleheader from the Guardians, who entered the day with a 9-3 record that was the second best in the AL (behind only the Yankees themselves). New York's record is now an impressive 12-3, the best in the majors, and is their best 15-game start since 2003.
The Yankees will try to complete a sweep of the Guardians on Sunday, with Nestor Cortes Jr. toeing the rubber. First pitch will be at 1:40 PM Eastern at Progressive Field.
