Ryan Weathers Shines in Yankees Victory

Ryan Weathers delivered an impressive performance on Sunday.

The left-handed pitcher, who joined the Yankees from Miami this offseason, has had a rocky start in the Bronx. However, he showcased his potential against the struggling Royals, who have now lost seven games in a row.

In a 7-0 win, Weathers pitched 7⅓ shutout innings, giving up just five hits and one walk while striking out eight batters.

This is exactly the kind of start the Yankees hoped for when they brought him into the rotation to leverage his unique skill set.

After a disappointing outing against the Angels where he surrendered four home runs, Weathers bounced back effectively, allowing just one hit and achieving 10 strikeouts in that game.

“A lot of good things happened last game,” said Aaron Boone before Sunday’s matchup. “It was a team issue.” He added that while the Angels hit well, Weathers struggled with his fastball, failing to locate it properly. Overall, Boone expressed that Weathers was “throwing the ball really well. His stuff was great.”

Weathers himself noted that he felt more at ease on Sunday, managing to hit the corners more effectively instead of the center of the plate.

“There was a lot of work between starts, focusing on location and just relaxing,” he explained.

Now, the challenge is to maintain that form.

This performance follows a pattern for Weathers: a strong debut in Seattle, a tough outing against the Marlins—his former team—an excellent showing against the Athletics, and then a shaky one against the Angels, all leading up to his promising start versus Kansas City.

The Yankees’ offense exploded on Sunday, which likely helped as well, particularly against the opposing pitcher, Cole Ragans.

After giving up a single to Bobby Witt Jr. in the first inning, Weathers benefited from an early three-run cushion thanks to Aaron Judge’s two-run homer and a sacrifice fly from Austin Wells.

Adding to their lead, the Yankees scored another run in the second inning with Ben Rice’s home run and three more in the fifth, thanks to a timely hit from Trent Grisham.

Weathers continued to excel on the mound, retiring 14 of the next 15 batters after Witt’s first-inning hit, but he did get some assistance from the Royals in the sixth.

Elias Diaz recorded a single, and Witt followed up with a double. A risky decision sent the slow-running Diaz home, but a strong relay from Grisham and quick actions from shortstop Jose Caballero prevented the run from scoring.