The Yankees used 6 different starting pitchers in the last days of the regular season. First was Nestor Cortes, and then spot-starter Chi-Chi Gonzalez. Third was Luis Severino, and then Jameson Taillon in the first half of a doubleheader. The second half of the doubleheader was given to Gerrit Cole, and the final game of the season was handed to Domingo German.
Peculiarly since it gave them a chance to achieve a 100-win season, the Yankees didn’t seem to care to much about that last outing, and benched Aaron Judge, and went for an outfield of Aaron Hicks–Matt Carpenter–Oswaldo Cabrera, and ironically delivered a loss – primarily because of lack of runs.
In the American League Division series, they went with a rotation of Cole-Cortes-Severino, and the two games they lost were blown by relievers. In the American League Championship series, Jameson Taillon who had been an unsuccessful reliever in the previous series started in Game 1, followed by Luis Severino, Gerrit Cole, and Nestor Cortes. Things did not go well.
In the final games of the season, the bats were still lively, and the pitching tight. Let’s see who did well:
* indicates left-handed pitcher. No * indicates right-handed pitcher
| Name/Pos | W | L | ERA | G | GS | GF | CG | Sv | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | WHIP |
| Albert Abreu rp | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.50 |
| Jacob Barnes rp | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1.20 |
| Nestor Cortes sp* | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 0.41 |
| Scott Effross rp | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Jonathan Loaisiga rp | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1.20 |
| Lucas Luetge rp* | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2.14 |
| Ron Marinaccio rp | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Clarke Schmidt sp/rp | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0.33 |
| Luis Severino sp | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0.14 |
| Lou Trivino rp | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Greg Weissert rp | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Chi Chi Gonzalez sp/rp | 0 | 0 | 1.93 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1.50 |
| Gerrit Cole sp | 0 | 1 | 3.00 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 1.00 |
| Miguel Castro rp | 0 | 0 | 4.50 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2.00 |
| Jameson Taillon sp | 0 | 0 | 6.00 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 1.50 |
| Domingo German sp | 0 | 1 | 8.31 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.1 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 1.85 |
| Aroldis Chapman rp* | 1 | 1 | 13.50 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3.00 |
| Name/Pos | W | L | ERA | G | GS | GF | CG | Sv | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | WHIP |
In the post-season, the bats were silent and the pitching could not carry that weight on their own:
* indicates left-handed pitcher. No * indicates right-handed pitcher
| Name/Pos | W | L | ERA | G | GS | GF | CG | Sv | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | WHIP |
| Miguel Castro rp | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Domingo German sp/rp | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2.00 |
| Clay Holmes rp | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0.67 |
| Lou Trivino rp | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0.82 |
| Jonathan Loaisiga rp | 0 | 1 | 0.96 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9.1 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1.07 |
| Gerrit Cole sp | 2 | 1 | 2.95 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18.1 | 15 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 23 | 1.04 |
| Wandy Peralta rp* | 0 | 0 | 3.12 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8.2 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 1.15 |
| Nestor Cortes sp* | 1 | 0 | 4.50 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 1.50 |
| Luis Severino sp | 0 | 1 | 4.91 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 12 | 1.27 |
| Jameson Taillon sp/rp | 0 | 1 | 6.23 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.1 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2.31 |
| Frankie Montas sp/rp | 0 | 0 | 9.00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1.00 |
| Clarke Schmidt rp/sp | 0 | 2 | 11.57 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3.00 |
| Name/Pos | W | L | ERA | G | GS | GF | CG | Sv | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | WHIP |
Starters
Of those starters we have mentioned above, Nestor Cortes and Luis Severino shone brightly in the last games of the regular season. Cortes pitched 7.1 innings and gave up only one hit, two walks, and came through with a 0.00 ERA. Severino matched that ERA, with no hits and only 1 walk given up. Unfortunately, neither of them came up with anything like those performances in the playoffs.
Gerrit Cole was fairly even amongst his performances, both before season’s end and after. The silence of the bats meant that he gained only 2 hits and 2 losses.
Jameson Taillon was poor in relief in the final games, and poor as a starter in the Championship series. It is debatable whether he will return to New York in 2023. Only a personal level he was hurt by the sudden trade of good friend Jordan Montgomery, and his 2022 season was noticeably uneven.
Chi-Chi Gonzalez filled the role that was asked of him, and did well in a less than five innings New York debut, but there was never a suggestion that he was going to be around for the post-season.
Relievers
9 relievers, who were used across the last games of the season, came away with a 0.00 ERA. Of these only Lou Trivino repeated the feat in the two playoff series. Albert Abreu, (recent addition) Jacob Barnes, Scott Effross, Lucas Luetge, Ron Marinaccio, and Greg Weissert were not used in the post season. Jonathan Loaisiga appeared in 6 of the post-season games giving the Yankees 9 innings. Whilst he gave up more than a hit per innings, he only conceded 2 runs (1 earned), and remains one of the Yankees brightest lights for the future. Clarke Schmidt closed out two games in the late season, but his appearances in the playoffs were very below par. In 3 appearances, he collected 2 losses, a 11.57 ERA, and a 3.00 WHIP.
There were some pitchers who were not available in games 157-162 who were there for the playoff seasons. Two in particular did remarkably well, overcoming injuries and other struggles. These were Clay Holmes and Miguel Castro. Holmes appeared in 5 games, pitched 6 innings, and didn’t concede a run. Castro appeared in only 2 games, but also kept a clean slate.
Domingo German was not good in the start he made to the end of the regular season, but did commendably in relief in the one appearance he was given in the playoffs, despite giving up two walks.
Left-hander, Wandy Peralta was another who was unavailable in the last games of the season. He became a vital relief piece in the playoffs, and was used in 7 games (8.2 innings) with some notable success.
We then come to the two players at the bottom of the pitching pile. Recent acquisition, Frankie Montas, who was brought into replace the aforementioned Jordan Montgomery, continues in a sub-standard and laboured way. His 9.00 ERA in relief tells its own story. Finally, there is erstwhile closer Aroldis Chapman, who having produced a 13.50 ERA in his most recent games, then decided he did not want to workout with the rest of the squad, and consequently was not considered for the ALDS and ALCS roster. We bid a not so fond farewell to Mr Chapman, tattoos and all. We thank him for those times when he could be bothered, but in every other regard we will not miss him.
Best New York Yankee pitchers – in October (regular season and post-season) 1 to 5 (LtoR): Gerrit Cole, Lou Trivino, Nestor Cortes, Luis Severino, Clay Holmes
twilightdawning 