NEW YORK -- The clock hadn’t even reached 1 o’clock on this overcast Saturday afternoon, and already there was electricity flowing out of Luis Gil’s right hand. As the Yankees right-hander executed his warmup tosses in the Yankee Stadium bullpen, catcher Jose Trevino repeatedly wondered: “How hard is he throwing that?”
Gil’s combination of high-octane fastballs, sliders and changeups would soon translate to game action, securing a place in history for the young hurler. Gil established a franchise rookie record with 14 strikeouts, firing six magnificent innings in the Yankees’ 6-1 victory over the White Sox.
“I thank God for giving me this opportunity to be here,” Gil said through an interpreter. “During the offseason, I did a lot of work to get myself into a good position coming into camp. I really just wanted to do the best I could for this team.”
Gil’s 14 punchouts included a string of seven consecutive batters (and nine of 10) retired via strikeout, beginning with Paul DeJong in the fourth inning. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the previous record for strikeouts by a Yankees rookie was held by Orlando Hernández, who fanned 13 Rangers on Aug. 13, 1998.
By coincidence, “El Duque” tossed Saturday’s ceremonial first pitch in the Bronx, with the retired right-hander set to be honored with the “Pride of the Yankees” award at the club’s annual Welcome Home Dinner on Sunday.
“I was very happy to meet him today and establish a connection,” Gil said.
Gil’s 14 strikeouts matched the most by a Major Leaguer this season, equaling Tyler Glasnow of the Dodgers on April 9 at Minnesota and the Tigers’ Jack Flaherty on April 30 vs. St. Louis. He’s also just the 11th Yankee (15th time) to record at least 14 strikeouts in a game, a feat last achieved by Gerrit Cole on Sept. 7, 2022.
“He has the stuff to do that, so it doesn’t surprise me,” Trevino said. “He’s just got to keep attacking the zone like that with everything.”
It’s appropriate that Cole would claim a share of a mark with Gil, since as the hurler continues to recover from a right elbow injury, he has taken to serving as an auxiliary pitching coach. On Saturday, Gil called him “a great professor.”
During the Yankees’ recent series against the Rays at Tropicana Field, Cole schooled Gil on more efficiently separating his hands during his windup, making a good thing even better. Gil has gone 4-0 through four May starts with a 0.74 ERA, permitting just two runs in 24 1/3 innings.
“As good as his fastball has been all season, today felt like maybe his best one, just pouring it in there with presence of secondary stuff,” manager Aaron Boone said.
The White Sox had their best opportunity to stifle Gil in a clunky 29-pitch first inning that featured 13 changeups, with Chicago scoring the game’s first run on Andrew Benintendi’s check-swing double.
Gil froze Korey Lee on a third strike that stranded three runners aboard, and as the Yanks’ bats went to work, Gil trusted his heater more. Chicago hardly put up a fight.
“He was throwing three pitches for strikes, using his fastball really well,” said White Sox second baseman Nicky Lopez. “But then that changeup to righties and lefties, [he] had that slider working and he was pounding the zone. He settled in and sometimes you are on the bad end of it. He had everything working.”
Said right fielder Juan Soto: “It was fun. I mean, I was just standing out there. He was striking out a lot of guys. It’s really nice to see a guy like that.”
Gil’s emergence has been one of the unexpected storylines of this Yankees season, beginning with his demotion to the Minors during Spring Training, only to be recalled after Cole’s injury.
Scouts excitedly informed club decision-makers that Gil’s arsenal was more polished than the club expected after he missed most of the previous two seasons due to Tommy John surgery. As Boone has remarked, Gil “kicked the door in” to grab a rotation spot.
“Everything that he’s been throwing, he just had to try to command it a little bit better,” Soto said. “He’s been doing it. He’s been unbelievable.”
Now, as Cole continues to advance in his rehab (potentially facing hitters as soon as next week), it is fair to wonder what the ace’s pending return means for Gil.
Though the so-called “Joba Rules” are dead -- meaning there is no set innings limit like the ones that once frustrated Joba Chamberlain and others in the organization -- the Yanks will monitor Gil’s workload closely. This much seems certain: Especially on days like this, Gil seems to be in the big leagues to stay.
“He loves to be out there,” Trevino said. “He enjoys every second of it.”