BALTIMORE — New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Gil had a problem. He couldn’t control his slider. Each time he threw it, he feared it would slip from his grasp and end up places he didn’t want it to go.
So, Gil worked on a new grip with pitching coach Matt Blake and assistant pitching coach Desi Druschel, and the results have been better than perhaps even he expected.
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Gil leaned heavily on his improved slider to baffle the Baltimore Orioles en route to a 6-1 win Saturday afternoon at Camden Yards. The 26-year-old continued putting his season on an American League Rookie of the Year-type track with six innings, giving up just a run while striking out seven.
“His slider was really good again,” manager Aaron Boone said.
“The way he’s throwing it now,” catcher Austin Wells said, “it’s a plus pitch.”
All seven Luis Gil strikeouts from today! pic.twitter.com/9vYMISPCCb
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) July 13, 2024
The win gave the Yankees their first back-to-back wins since June 11-12 in Kansas City. Coupled with Friday’s victory, it means the Yankees will win their first series in eight tries. The series concludes at 11:35 a.m. Sunday — the last game before the All-Star break.
For Gil, it was the second straight start in which he leaned on the slider more heavily in combination with his blazing fastball than he did his changeup, which had been his primary secondary pitch all season.
Saturday, Gil threw his slider 37 times out of 95 pitches, getting nine swings-and-misses. That was compared with 34 fastballs and 24 changeups. The slider averaged 89.2 mph — up 1.8 mph from his season average.
Of his seven strikeouts, five came on his slider. The other two were on his fastball.
Boone said Gil’s slider now has a “better profile.”
“He altered his grip a couple of weeks ago, and we saw the results against Boston his last start and more this time to even get some more swing-and-miss with it against the left-handed hitters with it,” the manager said. “It’s definitely a pitch that’s a factor for him now.”
“Definitely feel a lot more comfortable with the grip of the slider now,” Gil said via the team’s Spanish interpreter. “That can make such a huge difference. I feel like now it’s not slipping away and I just feel comfortable and secure about executing that pitch.”
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The only damage against Gil came in the fourth inning when Ryan O’Hearn crushed a leadoff triple to left field, and then with one out, Ryan Mountcastle grounded out to short, bringing O’Hearn home.
“It was a little bit of a grind for him,” Boone said, “which just speaks to how good he can be when he’s not perfect, right?”
His season has enjoyed a bit of a revival. After posting a 2.03 ERA over his first 14 starts, Gil faced a massive bump in the road, posting a 14.90 ERA in three starts from June 20 to July 2. But in his previous outing, he righted the ship, going 6 2/3 innings and allowing just a run versus the Red Sox. He’s quieted fears that maybe he was running into a wall due to fatigue. Last season, Gil pitched just four innings in the minors while recovering from Tommy John surgery. This season, he’s pitched 102 1/3 frames.
Gil offered perspective on his mini-slump.
“That can happen in any sport,” he said. “You’re going to have moments where things aren’t going to go your way. When you go through moments like that, that’s when you’ve got to believe in yourself even more and you’ve got to use the support around you of your teammates, give the team your best effort you have at the time.”
His best effort these days involves a new slider, and the Yankees hope he continues to be able to lean on it into the second half.
“He just added a third plus pitch to his arsenal,” Wells said. “It’s only going to make him better.”
(Photo: Tony Quinn / Sipa via Associated Press)
Brendan Kuty is a Staff Writer for The Athletic covering the New York Yankees and MLB. He has covered the Yankees since 2014, most recently as a beat reporter for NJ Advance Media. Brendan was honored to receive the 2022 New Jersey Sportswriter of the Year award from the National Sports Media Association. He attended William Paterson University and the County College of Morris, and he is from Hopatcong, N.J.
