Good news for Yankees: Luis Gil looks like Luis Gil again vs. Red Sox
Luis Gil #81 of the Yankees reacts after the fourth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, July 7, 2024. Credit: Jim McIsaac
It was less than a month ago, in a start against the Red Sox, that Luis Gil went five innings, allowed one run, picked up his ninth victory and lowered his ERA to 2.03.
After that June 14 game at Fenway Park, it was hard not to imagine Gil earning an American League All-Star Game nod. Heck, there was a legitimate case to be made for the 26-year-old rookie starting the game.
On Sunday night, about 90 minutes before Gil took the mound at Yankee Stadium to again face the Red Sox, it was announced that closer Clay Holmes will be the lone Yankee joining Aaron Judge and Juan Soto at the July 16 All-Star Game in beautiful Arlington, Texas.
Holmes admitted he was surprised to have been selected. He said one of his potential All-Star break plans was to go to Gurney’s, the beach resort in Montauk.
As for Gil, life has not been a beach. In three outings since June 14 going into Sunday, he was 0-3 with a 14.90 ERA. Overall, he was 9-4, 3.41.
On Sunday, the Yankees were hoping Gil could return to the form that led him to be both the AL pitcher and rookie of the month in May, when he went 6-0 with an 0.70 ERA.
“You see that and you’re like, ‘This guy, we’re talking about starting the All-Star Game and all these kinds of things when you’re going through it,’ ’’ manager Aaron Boone said. “That’s the kind of level he was pitching at for a couple months.”
And that’s the level of pitching Gil displayed on Sunday, when he gave up one run in 6 2⁄3 innings and left trailing 1-0 in an eventual 3-0 loss.
Gil allowed four hits, didn’t walk a batter and struck out nine in lowering his ERA to 3.27.
“Kept it simple,” he said through an interpreter. “Just able to execute more pitches.”
Gil threw 6 1⁄3 innings before Rafael Devers gave Boston a 1-0 lead with an opposite-field home run. Gil was pulled after the next batter, Connor Wong, sent Soto to the warning track in right for an out.
Gil, who threw 96 pitches, was strong from the first one, a 98-mph outside fastball to Jarren Duran, who popped out to second on the next equally-blazing fastball.
Gil next got David Hamilton looking at a 99-mph heater in an at-bat that included a pitch-timer violation for ball three that obviously didn’t rattle the rookie. Gil shook it off and poured in two more strikes, one that Hamilton fouled back (Hamilton chastised himself, apparently for not crushing it) and the one he took for strike three.
Tyler O’Neill grounded to third to end the 13-pitch inning and Gil was on his way to a stellar night.
His toughest inning was the sixth, when he allowed a leadoff single by Dom Smith. One out later, Gil fired wildly on a pickoff attempt for an error that sent Smith to second.
Problem? No problem. Gil struck out Duran on a 90-mph slider and, after a visit from pitching coach Matt Blake, fanned Hamilton on a high 99-mph heater to end the inning.
When Gil struggled — especially after he gave up seven runs in 1 1⁄3 innings to the Orioles on June 20 — warning bells went off.
How long could the Yankees count on Gil to stay upright after he threw a total of four minor-league innings last season coming off Tommy John surgery? Was he getting tired? Or was it something else?
Boone voted for something else, saying on Sunday, “I do think it’s delivery-related” and not fatigue.
“I think it’s important with Luis, this is a very raw pitcher in his baseball life and career,” Boone said. “Before the injury, [he] was this guy with a high ceiling that was still an up/down guy, really figuring himself out and, to some degree, very much still figuring it out here at the big-league level.
“Now he had a two-month run where it was like, ‘Man, this guy showed you what he can be and what we believe he can be.’ But we’re also seeing some of the growing pains of a young pitcher kind of finding his way, figuring it out, learning his mechanics.”
In his previous three starts, Gil allowed 16 runs (all earned), 14 hits, nine walks and five hit batsmen in 9 2⁄3 innings. Opposing batters had a .333/.500/.691 slash line.
In his first 14 starts, he allowed only 39 hits in 80 innings. Opposing batters had a .142/.251/.245 slash line.
That’s the guy who showed up Sunday.
And who’s to say Gil won’t make it to beautiful Arlington after all? He still could become an All-Star if injury replacements are needed.
Still, with Gil at 96 1⁄3 innings, the Yankees probably would prefer to have him get some rest during the break. We hear there might be a room available at Gurney’s.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.