{"id":43546,"date":"2025-04-24T02:53:28","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T02:53:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=43546"},"modified":"2025-04-24T02:53:28","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T02:53:28","slug":"yankees-reliever-making-history-with-record-setting-start-to-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=43546","title":{"rendered":"Yankees Reliever Making History With Record-Setting Start to Season"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Yankees<\/div>\n
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\u00a9 Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images<\/div>\n
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Perhaps it is overlooked because of concerns about the closer, but what\u00a0Luke Weaver\u00a0is doing out of the\u00a0New York Yankees’ bullpen is unprecedented.<\/p>\n

Through his first 10 appearances of the 2025 season, Weaver has faced 43 batters. He\u2019s allowed just seven of them to reach base. Zero have scored.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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According to\u00a0researcher Katie Sharp, that makes Weaver the first pitcher in Yankees history to face that many batters, allow that few baserunners, and give up no runs through his first 10 games of a season.<\/a><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s put that in perspective. Not Mariano Rivera, Dellin Betances, nor Goose Gossage had as good of a start to the season as Weaver has this year.<\/p>\n

The 31-year-old right-hander wasn\u2019t the headline grabber when the Yankees<\/p>\n

It was not huge news when the Yankees claimed Weaver as a failed starter off waivers in 2023, but last season, he established himself as an effective reliever. He earned the trust of Yankees manager Aaron Boone, taking over the closing role in the playoffs when closer Clay Holmes faltered.<\/p>\n

This winter, he was relegated to the set-up role when the Yankees acquired established closer Devin Williams. But so far, he\u2019s been the most reliable arm in the group,\u00a0particularly more reliable than Williams.<\/p>\n

Weaver hasn\u2019t just been effective \u2014 he\u2019s been efficient. Through Tuesday, he\u2019s thrown 12.1 innings, walked five batters, and struck out 12. Opponents are hitting .053 against him, and he has a 0.58 WHIP.<\/p>\n

The Yankees are still searching for consistent late-game answers with Williams struggling and Jonathan Lo\u00e1isiga\u00a0out for at least a couple of months. They have already leaned heavier on Weaver than many expected. He\u2019s already recorded two saves this season.<\/p>\n

This clearly\u00a0isn\u2019t the same Weaver who bounced around\u00a0as a starter. The Yankees, under pitching coach Matt Blake, have a good track record of rebuilding pitchers.<\/p>\n

Thanks to\u00a0a few key improvements, he has transformed\u00a0into a dominant reliever. His four-seam fastball has gained velocity, averaging 93.5 mph and peaking at 95.8 mph, with reduced vertical drop and arm-side run, making it more deceptive to hitters. The changeup has also improved, showing increased movement and a higher whiff rate, rising from 16% in 2023 to 25% in 2024.<\/p>\n

The transformation has proven to be real and sustaining.<\/p>\n

And now,\u00a0 Weaver is making history with it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a9 Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Perhaps it is overlooked because of concerns about the closer, but what\u00a0Luke Weaver\u00a0is doing out of the\u00a0New York Yankees’ bullpen is unprecedented…. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":43553,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\nYankees Reliever Making History With Record-Setting Start to Season - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=43546\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Yankees Reliever Making History With Record-Setting Start to Season - 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