Main League Baseball introduced that it has authorised a roster substitution for the Yankees, with right-hander Ian Hamilton changed by fellow righty Mark Leiter Jr. Playoff guidelines dictate {that a} participant eliminated as a consequence of an damage is ineligible to play in that sequence in addition to the next one, so Hamilton received’t be eligible to play within the World Collection if the Yankees advance.
The transfer doesn’t come out of nowhere, as Hamilton was faraway from final night time’s recreation in opposition to the Guardians with an damage that he appeared to maintain whereas masking first base on a floor ball. The Yankees described his damage as left calf tightness and it now seems that it’s severe sufficient that they felt compelled to make a swap.
That could possibly be as a result of they don’t count on Hamilton again within the subsequent few weeks or just because they didn’t need to play short-handed for the following few days. The Yanks are about to play their second of three consecutive video games and used six relievers in final night time’s ten-inning contest that they finally misplaced. Even when there was an opportunity that Hamilton’s calf can be healed by later on this sequence or within the World Collection, they could want the additional arm to get by means of tonight and tomorrow.
Hamilton, 29, wasn’t a very powerful arm in supervisor Aaron Boone’s bullpen. Final night time’s appearances was simply his second of this yr’s playoffs. However he was strong in the course of the common season, making 35 appearances with a 3.82 earned run common. He struck out 25.2% of batters confronted, walked 8.2% of them and acquired grounders on 43.8% of balls in play. He earned one save and 11 holds this yr, the latter quantity coming in third on the crew behind Luke Weaver and Tommy Kahnle.
Leiter, 33, had some robust latest outcomes with the Cubs however struggled after a deadline deal that despatched him to the Bronx. From the beginning of 2022 till the commerce, he posted a 3.85 ERA in 168 1/3 innings for the Cubs. In that point, he had a 28.9% strikeout fee, 8.8% stroll fee and 47.8% floor ball fee.
On the finish of July, the Yanks despatched minor leaguers Ben Cowles and Jack Neely to the Cubs as a way to purchase Leiter, however he posted a 4.98 ERA in his 21 appearances for the Yanks after that deal. Whereas many Yankee followers groan on the mere point out of Leiter’s title, the baseball gods have been seemingly accountable for lots of these runs.
As a Yankee, Leiter’s 39% floor ball fee was subpar however his 31.7% strikeout fee was robust and his 8.7% stroll fee round common. However he had a .407 batting common on balls in play and a 26.1% homer to fly ball ratio, each of that are unsustainably excessive. His 2.86 SIERA in that stretch means that he was much better than his ERA would have you ever consider in that small pattern.
Leiter was left off the Yankee roster for the ALDS and ALCS however Hamilton’s damage opens the door for him. He and the Yankees might be hoping for higher fortune as they appear to defeat the Guardians and transfer on to the World Collection. They lead the ALCS two video games to at least one with recreation 4 set to start in Cleveland at 8:08 native time tonight.
