PHILADELPHIA — Al Leiter described his nephew as “fearless” on Tuesday afternoon.
A few hours later, fresh off the plane, Mark Leiter Jr. took the mound in his Yankees debut and proved himself.
Reiter, acquired from the Cubs just hours before Tuesday’s trade deadline, arrived at Citizens Bank Park just before kickoff and pitched a scoreless 10th inning to help the Yankees beat the Phillies 7-6 in the bottom of the 12th.
“It was definitely a crazy day,” said Reiter, the son of former Yankee Mark Reiter Sr. and nephew of former Yankee and Mets player Al Reiter. “It was really cool to be here during the game and then to be out there and see us win and celebrate with the team. It’s easy to get to know your teammates when you win. It was definitely an interesting day for me.”
Leiter hadn’t yet met most of his teammates when he entered the game in the 10th inning.
But he gave up a grounder and a popout, then was intentionally walked and then allowed a single off his glove to load the bases.
Leiter remained unfazed and one pitch later, he got Bryson Stott to fly out to extend the game.
“Right away, he lived up to the hype,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He got off the plane and went right into the game.”
The addition of Leiter, who traded promising prospects Jack Neely and Ben Cowles, gives the Yankees a strikeout opportunity that was previously lacking in their bullpen.
The right-hander posted a 4.21 ERA with 53 strikeouts in 36 1/3 innings over 39 games for the Cubs this season.
His 36.7 percent strikeout rate and 34.9 percent strikeout rate were 11th among major league pitchers with at least 100 plate appearances this season and led all Yankees relievers.
Not only was Rieter known for racking up strikeouts and having a great splitter, he also had some intangible talent.
“The big trait I’ve known about him since he was a little kid is he’s fearless,” Al Leiter said by phone Tuesday. “He’s not scared of anything. And he’s relentless. He does what he has to do. I think that mentality puts him in a good position. I think he’ll be in a really good place in the clubhouse and on the team. I think he’s definitely ready for it.”
When asked where that idea came from, Al Leiter laughed.
“Where do you think it is?” he said. “His father was aggressive. I was aggressive. It’s in the DNA to be aggressive and relentless. That’s the kind of person he is and it shows. He shows emotion just like his father. He’s a very caring guy, which is great. I think he’ll do well. We’ll see how it goes. I’m happy for him.”
The 33-year-old Reiter, a Toms River, New Jersey, native, is under club control through 2026.
He recently spent two weeks on the disabled list with a torn forearm (it’s been five years since his Tommy John surgery), but returned on July 9 and has pitched a perfect game since then, allowing no runners and allowing just 7 2/3 hits while striking out 14 batters in 7 2/3 innings.
“More than anything, I think he’s a good pitcher,” Boone said before the game. “Strikeouts or not, he’s a guy who’s had a really good run over the last two years. Even in those two years, he didn’t have a lot of hits, he didn’t have a lot of walks, he struck out a lot, but he’s also pitched really well over the last month. It’s interesting.”
Leiter has also excelled against left-handed batters, another weakness of his, with a career batting average of .213 and an OPS of .657.
The 33-year-old Reiter, a Toms River, New Jersey, native, is under club control through 2026.
He recently spent two weeks on the disabled list with a torn forearm (it’s been five years since his Tommy John surgery), but returned on July 9 and has pitched a perfect game since then, allowing no runners and allowing just 7 2/3 hits while striking out 14 batters in 7 2/3 innings.
The Leiter acquisition cost the Yankees promising relief pitcher Jack Neely and infielder Ben Cowles, both of whom needed to be added to the 40-man roster this offseason to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft.
