CHICAGO — Here's why it might be tough to fit Luis Gil into the bullpen.
The Yankees could use him as a closer, but when their right-handed pitchers are thriving, he becomes one of the Yankees' most valuable starters.
Gill, returning from the disabled list, pitched a dominant performance, allowing just one hit and no runs over six innings to lead the Yankees to a 3-0 victory over the Cubs on Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field.
“It was great,” manager Aaron Boone said, “and I even thought the last inning might have been his best. It was really easy, he didn't have to force it. He looked really sharp down the stretch, which was encouraging. Overall, six shutout innings to start the series, it couldn't have gone any better.”
After a minimum of 15 days off due to back pain, Gill is feeling almost whole again.
His fastball velocity dropped slightly to 95 mph from an average of 96.8 mph the rest of the year, but it didn't affect his ability to get outs and he continued to get stronger as the day progressed.
Meanwhile, Gill was able to throw up to 98 mph when necessary, like in the second inning when he recorded one of his seven strikeouts on the day.
There were also only two walks.
“As the innings went by, I felt more relaxed and comfortable on the mound,” Gil said through a translator. “My arm felt good, my rhythm was good. I felt like I was in better shape as the innings got closer.” [velocity] And I felt stronger.”
Gill was activated from the disabled list on Friday, while Clarke Schmidt is also scheduled to return on Saturday, giving the Yankees a tough starting rotation to work through if everyone is healthy.
Manager Boone has said one of the starters will likely be in the bullpen, so it's not hard to imagine Gill as a closer coming into the game in the second half.
But on Friday, even though Gill is well past his career-high innings, if he can keep up this form, it was easy to see him becoming a viable option as a starter in next month's playoff games.
“It's a battle, so that opportunity will be great for us,” Gill said. “We just want to keep our team in the best possible shape and keep fighting.”
