When the Yankees needed him most, Deivi Garcia delivered. Making his Major League debut on August 30, Garcia wasted no time in showing the league he was more than ready for the moment.
Garcia dismantled the Mets lineup that day, going six strong innings, striking out six, and only allowing one unearned run. It’s not often Aaron Boone lets his starter go more than four innings, but not even Boone can deny when Deivi is on the mound, you let him go.
Number 1 Prospect
Garcia is the pitcher that the front office promised to give us one day. Deivi has spent the last four years in the minors, and he is something Yankee fans have been dying for. The previous number one pitching prospect (Justus Sheffield) the Yankees had, was traded away for James Paxton. Another boneheaded move by Brian Cashman, but that’s a post for another day. I’ll give Cashman some credit here for not giving up on Deivi when he had a down season in AAA last year.
Hell of a Start
Garcia, in three starts, has pitched as well as anyone can in a three-game stretch. Let alone a rookie who has never pitched in an MLB game until this season. Deivi is cruising with an ERA of 3.06, a WHIP of 0.91, and opponents are batting .209 off the young right-hander. Garcia sparked the Yankees’ current five-game win streak, shutting down the Blue Jays, pitching seven innings, allowing two runs. That start was so desperately needed as the Yankees had just lost almost every game over three weeks. They dropped from first in the AL to the eighth seed. With the laundry list of injuries the Yankees have had, Garcia having strong starts like that is just what this team needs.
The Yankees expect to have the returns of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, A.K.A Mr. Glass, this week. They are coming off a weekend where the Yankees swept a four-game series with the Orioles. It’s coming at just the right time for a team that could not have been any worse over the last three weeks. With Deivi on the mound Tuesday night against the Blue Jays, the Yankees look for their sixth win in a row and have the chance to jump the Jays in the standings.
