Michael King, Clarke Schmidt auditioning for starter's roles in 2024
Yankees starting pitcher Michael King throws against the Red Sox in the first inning during the first game of a doubleheader in Boston on Thursday. Credit: AP/Michael Dwyer
BOSTON — The Yankees started what could end up being two-fifths of their 2024 rotation in a day-night doubleheader at Fenway Park on Thursday.
Michael King took the loss in Game 1 as he allowed one run and struck out eight in 4 2⁄3 innings in the Yankees’ 5-0 defeat.
In Game 2, Clarke Schmidt left with a chance for his 10th win, but ended up with a no-decision in the Yankees’ 8-5 victory.
Schmidt, who is 9-8 with a 4.56 ERA in a career-high 146 innings, gave up four runs (three earned) in 5 1⁄3 innings.
The Red Sox tied Game 2 at 5 in the seventh with a run charged to Zach McAllister. DJ LeMahieu’s two-out RBI double in the eighth gave the Yankees the lead back for good and Oswald Peraza added a two-run homer in the ninth. Aaron Judge had earlier hit a grand slam as the Yankees built up a 5-2 lead.
The Yankees and Red Sox are both 74-73 and remained tied for fourth place — and last place — in the AL East. The Red Sox fired their chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom before the opener.
In Game 1, King (4-6, 2.77 ERA) gave up three singles in the first, including an RBI hit to Wilyer Abreu, but settled in from there (six hits, one walk).
King was removed from his sixth start of the season by manager Aaron Boone after striking out the first two batters of the fifth (and his third batter in a row) at 87 pitches.
King tried to talk Boone into leaving him in. “He wouldn’t let me,” King said. “I tried my best. I think I might have gotten a little hesitation.” Boone, asked if he was close to being talked out of taking out King, said, “No.”
As a starter, King is 1-2 with a 1.93 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 23 1⁄3 innings. He has thrown a career-high 87 2⁄3 innings.
King, 28, made his first start on Aug. 12, but it was really a two-inning stint as an opener. After two more relief appearances, King began to be built up as a starter in a 2 2⁄3 -inning outing on Aug. 24.
King has made no secret of his desire to be a starter. But he is valuable to the Yankees in a relief role. His six saves are second on the team to Clay Holmes’ 19.
Still, Boone said it’s possible King could join the 27-year-old Schmidt in next year’s rotation.
“I think we all believe he could be a starter,” Boone said.
The Yankees have Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon as sure things in the 2024 rotation. General manager Brian Cashman recently traveled to Japan to scout Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a 25-year-old righthander who is expected to be offered to MLB teams via the posting system in the offseason. Yamamoto threw a no-hitter in front of Cashman and executives from other teams.
In Game 2, Schmidt was undone by his defense on three of Boston’s four runs against him. In Boston’s two-run first inning, Giancarlo Stanton was slow to get to a single in leftfield and Anthony Volpe committed a throwing error that allowed a run to score.
The Yankees took the lead in the second. LeMahieu made it 2-1 with a bases-loaded infield single (he was originally called out, but the ruling was overturned via replay). The Yankees had been 0-for-11 in the doubleheader with runners in scoring position before that correctly adjudicated hit.
Judge, who had been hitless in his previous 16 at-bats, followed with a grand slam to center. It was Judge’s 32nd home run and sixth career grand slam.
Schmidt gave up a solo homer to Rafael Devers in the third. Boston’s fourth run in the fifth inning came courtesy of another Volpe throwing error.
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.
