CLEVELAND — In Game 3 of the ALCS on Thursday, Clark Schmidt will return to the mound where he suffered perhaps the biggest loss of the playoffs two years ago.
In the bottom of the 9th inning of Game 3 of the 2022 ALDS against Cleveland, Schmidt replaced Wandy Peralta with two outs and 1st base when he was hit with a lead-scoring single, an infield hit, and then allowed an RBI after a strikeout. A two-run, winning single to Oscar Gonzalez.
The Yankees went on to win that series, but the loss still stings for Schmidt, who will start at Progressive Field as he looks to build a 2-0 series lead.
He will face left-handed Matt Boyd.
“It's something you always remember when you mess up or don't get the job done,” Schmidt said of the ALDS game in which he was used because manager Aaron Boone said Clay Holmes was unavailable. He talked about defeat. “For me, it was a learning moment about how to make adjustments and get better. I'm grateful for that, but that moment sucked.”
The right-handed pitcher pitched well this season in Cleveland, which opened in April, and made his first postseason start in Kansas City last week, winning with four hits and two runs allowed in 4/3 innings. setting.
“That game… [2022] “The playoffs were going to be my moment, but it didn't go the way I wanted it to,” Schmidt said. “After that, I said, ‘I can’t wait to go back and have another chance.’ I got it in Kansas City and I want to do it again. [Thursday]”
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He pitched well during the regular season, but was sidelined for three months with a latissimus dorsi strain, before starting five games in September. When healthy, the 28-year-old was as effective as the rest of the rotation, posting a 2.85 ERA.
And while he will be aiming to get the Yankees closer to a World Series appearance, the team's attitude is that nothing is set in stone.
“Momentum can change quickly,” Schmidt said of the series. “I feel like we showed up, but in a way it feels like we're down in the locker room. We still have work to do. We're on the road in a tough environment. We are aware that the next two games are extremely important and we are trying to get the job done as quickly as possible.”
