This story was excerpted from Bryan Hoch’s Yankees Beat publication. To learn the complete publication, click on right here. And subscribe to get it frequently in your inbox.
NEW YORK — It’s tough to conjure a extra distinctive state of affairs by which to make your Yankees debut than the occasions that preceded Mark Leiter Jr.’s first pitches for the membership this previous week, and it’s definitely an expertise that the veteran right-hander will always remember.
“All of it occurred so quick that I didn’t actually have an opportunity to consider a lot of it,” Leiter stated. “Irrespective of what number of years you play, that may solely occur one time in your profession.”
Arriving at Residents Financial institution Park through the second inning of the sport, Leiter dressed shortly within the guests’ clubhouse and bounced by way of the dugout, the place he exchanged greetings with supervisor Aaron Boone and others earlier than making his strategy to the bullpen within the high of the fourth.
“Everybody was laughing after they see me, like, ‘Hey, you’re right here already?’” Leiter stated.
The sport went to additional innings when nearer Clay Holmes coughed up a one-run lead within the ninth, and Boone summoned Leiter to pitch the tenth in a tied recreation. Not solely had Leiter by no means labored with catcher Austin Wells, however they’d but to fulfill at that time.
On the bench, Wells had requested Boone: “What’s this man throw?” Leiter, it needs to be talked about, options one of many recreation’s greatest splitters — opponents are simply 5-for-66 (.076) towards it this yr.
“Guys have been throwing the ball again and making performs behind me, and I hadn’t even launched myself but,” Leiter stated. “It was proper into the fireplace, which is ok. That’s what I’m right here to do. Simply go on the market and do your job, pitch, get some outs.”
He was so contemporary to the scene that when his PitchCom system relayed a code phrase for a pickoff, Leiter admitted he had no concept what it meant.
“He’s like, ‘What the heck does that imply?’” Boone stated. “We had nothing. You’re having a man on the market on the greatest second of the sport at that time, introducing himself to folks, not realizing what’s happening in his ear and getting out of a giant jam.”
Leiter has grown extra comfy over the previous a number of days, together with choosing up his first Yankees win within the membership’s 4-3 victory in 10 innings over the Blue Jays on Sunday. As soon as the Yanks left Philadelphia, bussing up the New Jersey Turnpike to the Bronx, Leiter stated he spent about an hour exploring Yankee Stadium.
“It’s an attractive place,” Leiter stated. “I pitched right here as soon as earlier than in 2018 [for the Blue Jays]. I acquired my first ever maintain.”
Pitching for the Yankees, in fact, is a part of the household enterprise. Leiter’s father, Mark Leiter Sr., made his Main League debut with the Yankees on July 24, 1990, earlier than happening to pitch for seven different franchises over his 11-year profession. His uncle, Al Leiter, had two stints with the Bombers (1987-89, 2005) and likewise labored for the YES Community after his taking part in days.
“It’s fairly cool that now all three of us have performed right here,” Leiter stated. “It’s a fantastic legacy for my household, and to get an opportunity to placed on the pinstripes is fairly superior. They have been very excited; simply being near house, they’re in a position to come to extra video games, in order that’s only a plus.”
