PHOENIX — When news broke that Gerrit Cole would have to miss at least the first two months of the season with an elbow injury, questions arose as to how the Yankees would survive.
It’s only been five games, but at 5-0, his replacement continued to impress in his first chance of the regular season on Monday night.
There’s no way to make up for the loss of the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, but the Yankees are doing their best with a relentless offense, with Lewis Gil showing a new and improved look on Monday. They will be playing beyond the Grapefruit League.
In the game, which was also his first start since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2022, Gill’s blistering fastball tore through the Diamondbacks, leading the Yankees to open the season with five straight wins and a five-game winning streak at Chase Field. Achieved 2 victories.
This is the fourth time in franchise history that the Yankees have gone 5-0 since 1992 (which was the last time the team finished a season below .500).
Aided by an early scoring spree from his offensive line, led by Anthony Volpe’s first career four-hit game, Gil allowed just one hit and one run with six strikeouts in 4/3 innings pitched.
He issued three walks and pushed his pitch count to 84, but he had built up to 75 pitches in the previous simulated game in Houston on Wednesday, so his night was over at that point.
But by the time Aaron Boone took the mound, the Yankees’ infield was already surrounding Gill with celebratory slaps on the back.
Twelve days before Gill underwent Tommy John surgery, the 25-year-old’s first major league appearance since May 12, 2022, Boone shook Gill’s hand and spoke with him before receiving the ball.
Gill fired up the radar gun, getting five of his six strikeouts on fastballs of 98, 99 and 100 mph.
He mixed in enough changeups and sliders to keep the Diamondbacks off balance, quieting the Diamondbacks who had racked up 32 points in the first four games of the season.
Gill, whose fastball averaged 97.7 mph (he averaged 96.1 mph in six starts for the Yankees in 2021), maintained that speed through the fifth inning.
The penultimate batter he faced, Jake McCarthy, struck out with a 98 mph heater.
Considering that Gil has barely pitched in the year and a half since entering spring training, the Yankees decided to give Gil time to properly prepare by signing him up for minor league camp on March 3rd. was an option.
A few days later, it became clear that Cole was injured and a fifth starter would be needed, but Gill suddenly forced his way back with an impressive springboard.
“He kicked the door down,” Boone said before the game. “There were other good options for that spot, and Lewis earned that spot with the look he had when he jumped in spring training. If he goes out and executes, he can be as good as anyone. right.”
The Yankees gave him some breathing room early on and picked up where he left off in Houston.
They assembled tough bats up and down the lineup, knocking Diamondbacks starting pitcher Ryne Nelson out of the game by the third inning.
They had Nelson throw 76 pitches over 2/3 innings, taking a 5-0 lead at that point.
Volpe led off the second inning with the first of his two doubles on the night, eventually scoring on Oswaldo Cabrera’s looping single.
Gleyber Torres then hit a double into the gap to make it 2-0.
Walks by Anthony Rizzo and Alex Verdugo (10 pitches) sparked a third-inning rally, and Volpe singled past Rizzo for a 3-0 lead.
Austin Wells then hit a sacrifice fly and, thanks to two errors along the way, he ended up hitting two runs. Verdugo started at third base and Volpe started at first base.
