Yankees' Luis Gil picks up right where he left off in impressive regular season debut
Luis Gil wasn’t supposed to be part of the Yankees’ Opening Day starting rotation, but with ace Gerrit Cole sidelined for the first two months of the season due to an elbow injury, an opportunity presented itself.
The right-hander took full advantage of that chance, shining during spring training action to earn himself a spot on the Opening Day roster.
When he took the big league mound for the first time since 2022 in his regular season debut on Monday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Gil was able to pick up right where he left off.
After the Yankees’ offense handed him an early lead, the 25-year-old cruised, as he allowed just one run on one hit while walking three and striking out six across 4.2 stellar innings.
“He did a heck of a job,” Aaron Boone said postgame. “He used his fastball more, but there was a presence with his secondary stuff. He walked a few batters but overall I thought his stuff was really good, you could see the fastball playing.
“He’s done a great job all spring earning his way onto this team starting the year, and coming off a big series he set the tone early on for us.”
Boone apologized to Gil for having to pull him one out shy of earning his second career win, but postgame the youngster said through a translator that he understood the move.
“I want to be out there pitching, let’s be clear about that,” he said. “But at the same time, I understand that there’s a set amount of pitches that I’m under, so there’s nothing to feel bad about coming out at that time. Next time out there I’ll probably have more pitches.”
As the skipper mentioned, Gil showcased an electric overpowering fastball which topped out at 100 mph, and his secondary pitches were impressive as well.
The youngster has quickly shown that he has the potential to be a legitimate weapon in this rotation, and now that he's back healthy, he says he's ready to do whatever it takes to help the team win.
“First of all, I just have to thank God for this opportunity,” he said. “I came into camp just ready to do my job. After everything that I’ve been through, to be able to be back and be here and be able to compete, it means a lot, I’m glad I have the opportunity to help this team.”
