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 returned from the disabled list and pitched a dominant performance, allowing only 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.
Of course, after Gill left the Yankees had to find a way to record the final nine outs in the first game they had a lead, as manager Aaron Boone said they would be “creative” with save opportunities after Clay Holmes failed to get his 11th save Tuesday night in Texas.
Jake Cousins pitched seven scoreless innings against the middle of the lineup, and Tommy Kahnle faced an 8-9-1 record in eight innings, striking out two in 1-2-3 innings.
Boone then gave Luke Weaver a chance to get his first career save in the ninth inning, facing the core of the Cubs' lineup, which included two left-handed batters.
Weaver struck out Michael Bush and Seiya Suzuki before walking Cody Bellinger.
But he won an 11-pitch battle with Isaac Paredes and got him to ground out to secure the win.
The win gave the Yankees (81-60) their third victory in their last nine games and temporarily moved them into a tie for the top of the AL East pending the Orioles-Rays game, while the Cubs (72-69), who had won nine of their last 12 games before Friday, lost steam.
After a minimum of 15 days off due to back pain, Gill is feeling almost whole again.
His fastball velocity dropped slightly from an average of 96.8 mph the rest of the year to 95 mph, but it didn't affect his ability to get outs.
And he can throw up to 98 mph when he needs to, as he did when he got one of his seven strikeouts that day.
The Cubs gave a hero's welcome to Anthony Rizzo as he returned to Wrigley Field for the first time since being traded to the Yankees in 2021, with the veteran first baseman going 1-for-3 with 1 walk.
The Yankees took a 3-0 lead in the third inning thanks to the top of their lineup, pitched by left-hander Jordan Wicks. Gleyber Torres walked to start the inning, then Juan Soto singled.
Aaron Judge then hit a double down the third base line to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead.
Austin Wells, playing for the first time since Monday, caught a 95 mph fastball with his right hand and then hit a two-run single the other way to make it 3-0.
Taking advantage of the lead, Gill fought back by holding the opposing team to just six pitches in the bottom of the third inning.
With Gill returning from the disabled list on Friday and Clarke Schmidt set to return on Saturday, the Yankees' starting rotation will be tough if everyone stays 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, it was easy to imagine Gill as a likely candidate to start in a playoff game next month.
