Corey Kluber’s first outing with the Yankees didn’t last as long as he could have expected, but the right-handed veteran had to be happy with what he showed in his striped debut.
Kluber got a couple of jams in a 5-3 win over the Blue Jays on Saturday in the Bronx and was in control for most of the day. He allowed just one run won in five hits in four innings. He stopped five and walked three, leaving after making a home run to start the fifth inning,
For Kluber, that was a step back after losing every game except one last year as a member of the Rangers.
“It was fun to come back here and have a chance to compete with the guys,” Kluber said. “I think I ultimately made throws when I needed to.”
The Cy Young double winner threw 74 pitches in his first outing since July last year. Kluber kept the Blue Jays goalless in the first two innings. He lost control a bit on the third and walked two batters and threw a wild throw. One of those hitters, Danny Jansen, scored a pitching error on receiver Gary Sanchez after Kluber destroyed Cavan Biggio. Then Kluber destroyed Bo Bichette to finish off the entry.
Toronto loaded the bases in the fourth quarter before Kluber got Jansen to land on the short field and out the entrance.
“I thought Corey threw the ball well,” said Aaron Boone, Yankees manager. “He had a fairly easy first couple of tickets and then he had to lengthen it a bit, he had that little stretch where he lost a bit of the area. Just the movement in his throws, the ability to get in and out, seemed really good to me.
“I thought overall that was another good step for him.”
Marcus Semien scored at Kluber’s home to start the fifth inning and Boone pushed him. He left the game with the Yankees ahead 3-2, but made no decision after throwing just four innings.
For Kluber, just being on the mound was a win after a muscle fracture in his right shoulder limited to 18 pitches last season with the Rangers. He has only pitched 36 innings / ₃ over the past two years, making just seven starts in 2019 with Cleveland while dealing with forearm and oblique injuries.
“You spend a lot of time just rehabilitating if you’re off the team when they’re on the road or come early and do things before all the guys are there,” said Kluber, who signed $ 11 million for a year. deal with the Yankees, he said. “Something misses this aspect of the team.”