Michael King writing success story in Yankees' pen

BALTIMORE – Michael King eventually will get a chance to fulfill his dream of being a big-league starter.

Get that out of the way first.

It is, generally speaking, a baseball truism that starters are far more difficult to develop than relievers, and the 26-year-old righthander flashes too many quality pitches not to be given that shot.

It just likely won’t be, barring a slew of injuries to the Yankees’ rotation, this year.

King has proved to simply be too valuable in his current role that sees him as one of the best relievers in baseball.

After striking out six of the nine batters he faced over three perfect innings in Tuesday night’s 5-4 victory over the Orioles at Camden Yards, King lowered his ERA to 1.40. He’s struck out 37 batters in 25 2/3 innings.

“It’s like video game stuff out there,” said righthander Jameson Taillon, who improved to 4-2 with a 3.28 ERA Tuesday after allowing three runs in five innings. “He makes his strikes look like balls and his balls look like strikes. He’s got like a crossfire thing going – he can backdoor a sinker and throw you a curveball in the other batter’s box and make you look like a fool. I knew the stuff was amazing, but the command is impressive.”

Indeed, King has come a ways since getting his first extended action in the big leagues during the 2020 COVID-shortened 60-game season when things did not go well as the pitcher posted a 7.76 ERA in nine outings (four starts).

Early in spring training last season, King didn’t hesitate when asked the biggest lesson learned from 2020.  

“That you need a third pitch to pitch in the big leagues, especially if you're trying to get through the order two times," King said on Feb. 21, 2021. “For me, I kind of was just sinkers the whole time. My changeup was iffy and my slider was still pretty bad. So that was a big emphasis this offseason, [getting] a really good feel for a breaking ball. And then [having] my change to be a little bit better than it was.”

Enter two-time AL Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber, a member of the Yankees last season. The veteran righty took a liking to King – not a surprise in that the latter is among the most outwardly friendly players in the clubhouse – and, starting last May, began working with him on his slider. Kluber essentially began teaching King the pitch that helped Kluber become one of the best pitchers in the AL for a time – a curveball/slider hybrid dubbed the Kluberball (or “slurve” for other pitchers who have thrown it over the years).

It started to take hold last season when King showed indications of what was to come this season as he put up a 3.55 ERA in 22 games (six starts), and it’s become virtually unhittable.  

But rival scouts, in praising that pitch, have also noted King’s sinker has been a plus pitch, as well as his four-seam fastball and, at times, his changeup.

“He’s tough to describe,” Aaron Judge said of King. “He could be a closer on 29 other teams, he could be a starter on 29 other teams, he can be that late-inning leverage guy. It’s been fun watching him develop over the years. Now he’s kind of established himself with his repertoire and how he can handle any big situation.”

King, in saying multiple times this season he enjoys the “adrenaline rush” of coming into those big situations – he struck out the side after coming on with a runner on second and none out in the sixth and fanned the first batter of the seventh Tuesday – starting in the majors remains the goal. But that isn’t on his mind at the moment.

“First things first is wins,” King said. “So if Boonie (Aaron Boone) thinks that I’m more valuable out of the ‘pen, then I will gladly do it, if the time comes where he wants me to start, I will gladly do it. I just want to help the team win in as many ways as possible.”