New York Yankees starting pitcher Marcus Stroman struggled mightily on Friday night, getting chased in the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Yankee Stadium.
Throwing just 0.2 innings, Stroman surrendered four hits, five earned runs and three walks. He threw 46 pitches with just one strikeout. He has an 11.57 ERA in three starts this season, as pointed out by @TalkinBaseball.
This continues a tumultuous stretch for the former All-Star. First, Stroman didn’t pitch at all in the playoffs last season for New York as they advanced to the World Series. Then, the Yankees entertained the idea of trading him but were unable to find a deal that worked this offseason. Stroman scoffed at the notion of being used in the bullpen in spring training but ended up in the rotation because of injuries to Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil.
An 11-year veteran of the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs and Yankees, Stroman entered play on Friday at 87-85 overall for his career. A two-time All-Star, he’s the former ace of the Blue Jays, getting to the ALCS in 2015 and 2016.
Stroman is a free agent at the end of the season, but he has a vesting option that says he’ll get another $18 million next year if he hits 140 innings pitched this season. Given the way the year has started, that’s not necessarily a given. In addition to fighting for his roster spot and rotation spot, Stroman is also fighting for future money.
The two teams play again on Saturday.
