NEW YORK — New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he may have made a mistake when he sent lefty reliever Clayton Andrews to hold a one-run deficit late in Tuesday night’s 6-3 loss to the Seattle Mariners at Yankee Stadium.
Instead, Boone said, maybe he should have chosen Caleb Ferguson, also a lefty, instead of Andrews, who gave up a first-pitch homer solo to Luke Raley to boost the Mariners’ lead to 5-3 in the eighth inning.
“The case there is to bring Fergie in there,” Boone said, “which in hindsight I probably should have done.”
After the loss, the Yankees demoted Andrews to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with reliever Tommy Kahnle expected to come off the injured list for the first time this season Wednesday.
Luke Raley cannot be stopped 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/3cXs32ORVE
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) May 22, 2024
For Andrews, the home run didn’t just come on the first pitch he had thrown all night, but on the first pitch he’d thrown in the majors this season. Called up Monday when righty Ian Hamilton went on the COVID IL, Andrews had a 6.60 ERA in 12 games at Triple A.
Boone said he liked the “lane” that had been presented for Andrews.
Andrews entered the inning to face Raley, a lefty hitter, and Andrews had limited southpaw swingers to a .091 slugging percentage in the minors this season. Also due up was switch-hitter Cal Raleigh, whom the Yankees preferred to face from the right side, and Dominican Canzone, another lefty hitter.
After Raley’s home run, Andrews hit Raleigh with a pitch to end a 10-pitch at-bat, and then he struck out Mitch Haniger. That’s when Boone replaced him with righty Nick Burdi, who finished the inning but then gave up a solo shot to Dylan Moore in the ninth inning.
It was Andrews’ fifth career MLB appearance. He appeared in four games last season with the Milwaukee Brewers. The Yankees acquired Andrews from Milwaukee in exchange for minor-league righty Joshua Quezada on Feb. 14. On Monday, he said it was his first time in New York City.
Meanwhile, Ferguson wouldn’t have been totally rested, having thrown seven pitches Monday. But he was available, and he’s pitched in parts of six seasons in the majors. He has a 5.63 ERA in 20 appearances this year.
Boone said it was a “fair question” as to why he went with Andrews.
“I was going to go Burdi there for the bottom (of the order), and then I’d be set up,” Boone said. “It’s a fair question.”
The Raley blast stymied the momentum the Yankees had following Gleyber Torres’ clutch three-run blast with two outs in a full count in the seventh inning.
Schmidt tipping?
Yankees starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt said he may have tipped the pitch that Moore crushed for a two-run home run. Schmidt, who fell to 5-2, went five innings, giving up four hits, two walks and striking out six while surrendering two earned runs.
After Josh Rojas doubled to right field with one out in the third inning, Moore crushed the 93.1-mph cutter that Schmidt appeared to leave just outside the strike zone. In fact, Moore, a righty, turned on it and sent it over the wall in left-center at 104.1 mph. Moore finished the night 3 for 4.
Schmidt suspected that Rojas may have picked up that a cutter was coming and signaled to Moore while leading off second base.
“When you go look at the video,” Schmidt said, “I think there was relaying the signs a little bit at second base. It was a quality pitch, for sure. Obviously, tipping is a part of this game, and it’s a factor, and it’s always in the back of our heads.”
Schmidt said he watched video of the pitch between innings and made an adjustment to his delivery. He said he wasn’t exactly sure what may have tipped off the Mariners. Schmidt said potential pitch tipping has been something that’s been on his radar this season. He said he believed that if he is tipping pitches, it’ll be a correctable flaw.
He didn’t fault Seattle.
“If I’m giving away the pitches,” Schmidt said, “it’s a credit for them being able to find it.”
(Photo: Gregory Fisher / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
