From Pat Donnelly:
The Yankees have become accustomed to dominating the Minnesota Twins over the past 20-plus years. But even with the bar set so high, what happened the past three days at Target Field was noteworthy.
Clarke Schmidt pitched eight scoreless innings on Thursday as the Yankees completed a three-game sweep of the Twins with a 5-0 victory. It was the second straight shutout for the Yankees, who became the first American League team to 30 wins (30-15).
Going back to Tuesday’s series opener, after Minnesota’s Ryan Jeffers led off the game with a home run, the Yankees didn’t allow a run for the next 26 innings. That’s a span of 81 outs, or 378 pitches thrown by New York hurlers without a Twin crossing home plate.
Schmidt, who pitched into the eighth inning for the first time in his career, allowed just three hits and no walks while striking out eight. He earned his fifth victory of the year and is 3-0 in May. He has thrown 19 2/3 innings this month, allowing three runs (1.37 ERA) on 12 hits and two walks while striking out 21.
“I’ve learned so much on the mental side of this game, how to navigate lineups and how to manage an outing throughout the past year and a half,” Schmidt said. “So it’s been really good to see that progression and continue to put some work in.”
I’ve long been a Clarke Schmidt fan, and I have always felt that he was too talented to not be a big part of this team, but I’ll gladly admit that earlier this season, I just didn’t think he had the mental wherewithal to succeed as a starter. Since then, he has been leaps and bounds better, and it is nice to see him address that that definitely WAS an area where he needed to improve.
But wow, 26 scoreless innings in a row. Remarkable.
What a great series win, the kind of dismantling that I presume Twins fans are in a sort of daze about, as they just looked utterly lifeless.
Aaron Judge has now officially passed Juan Soto in OPS. That’s crazy.
Featured image is Clarke Schmidt celebrating a nice play by Verdugo in left.
Why do they keep saying “the first time he’s pitched into the eighth?”
It’s as much as to say he didn’t actually complete the eighth.
But he did complete the eighth.
The Ate, sorry!
It’s a little weird I agree but both are notable accomplishments for him–7.1 would be worthy of comment as well. Probably just an economy of words rather than “the first time he even pitched into the eighth much less completed the inning.” Although now that I type it, it would have been better to say that,
)))
I tire
…of being so right all the time!
What, exactly, were you right about this time? (And also – no one’s forcing you!)
Schmidt = Blake-e-otomy, thus…
free Ben rice!
with every purchase of equal or greater value
I’ma get choo
also, boo.
(cortes day)
Skenes is something else, if you aren’t watching his starts, you should be.
He just struck out the first 7 batters of the game
That guy is a freak of nature. I kind of expect him to pitch 300 innings a year and strike out 400 guys going forward until he’s 45.
As a random viewer of baseball, to me his mechanics look effortless to get that kind of heat and movement.
Oh yeah, it’s the easiest 100 I’ve seen.
I still expect there’s a clock on that arm though.
Damn. Okay, I’ll watch.
How long until his first serious arm injury?
I just came here to marvel at Skenes. He needs to get in the zone a little more but today he was, actually, unhittable
Anyone besides remember Fernandomania? First 8 starts in 1981 was 8 complete games with 5 shutouts and a total of 4 runs allowed. That was after a 1980 debut of 17 scoreless innings.
Crazy
Pepperidge Farm (UJD) remembers. I wasn’t really a baseball fan then but it was huge national news in the way it wouldn’t be today. Plus I got SI and read it cover to cover every week.
I could’ve done without this thread
Hoch DJ LeMahieu rehab, take II. Aaron Boone has said that it’s possible LeMahieu could rejoin the Yankees during their upcoming road trip:”
So let’s make sure they rush DJ back before he’s ready to contribute when the team is doing just fine. I was kind of hoping he would retire. I’ll be really surprised if DJ is ever again what he was the years he was great. His career OPS+ is 102.
😩
been thinking. this site needs new leadership.
yes, this intrigues me