A new report gives fresh insight into why the New York Yankees made the surprising decision to put Clarke Schmidt in their postseason rotation instead of talented youngster Luis Gil.
The Yankees are just a day away from what is set up to be a pivotal Game 3 in their Divisional Series against the Kansas City Royals. They took a 1-0 series lead into Monday night but were unable to slow a fourth-inning onslaught from KC. Losing home advantage in their best of five.
The loss in Game 2 has put a whole bunch more pressure on an interesting decision the Yankees brass made before the start of the series. Instead of going with American League Rookie of the Year candidate Luis Gil, they selected veteran pitcher Clarke Schmidt to be in their postseason rotation.
It was a move that surprised many around the organization since the 13-7 Gil has never entered a game out of the bullpen — Schmidt has — and he has had issues throwing strikes at times. This could be very problematic if he is called upon in the middle of an inning this month. His bumpy performances in August and September also likely played a role in the team’s decision.
New York Yankees more confident in Clarke Schmidt than Luis Gil in a big moment
However, that decision was not as hard as some might assume, according to a new report. SNY MLB insider Andy Martino revealed Tuesday “There was a lot of agreement” among New York decision-makers about picking Schmidt over Gil. But it also seems that greater confidence in the former played a major role as well.
“Asked for the reasoning behind choosing Schmidt over Gil for the start, Boone said, ‘The best I can tell you, it feels like he’s the right guy for that game.’ According to the source in the meeting, Boone’s public framing summed it up,” Martino reported.
“In crucial moments, there is no time to hedge or get cute. It comes down to the question of who you want to give the ball to. As the source put it, the Yankees chose Schmidt because ‘Clarke is a stud.’”
They will soon get to prove if their choice was the right one when Schmidt takes the ball in Game 3 of the New York Yankees vs. Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night.
