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4w ago

Yankees Bullpen Shows Early Bite as Jake Bird Closes Giants Sweep

Coaching-driven pitch changes hint at an internal path to replace lost relief depth.

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An image collage containing 1 images, Image 1 shows Yankees pitcher Jake Bird (59) delivers a pitch against the San Francisco Giants in the seventh inning at Oracle Park

Overview

  • Jake Bird recorded five outs to finish a 3-1 win that sealed a sweep of the Giants at Oracle Park.
  • In his first two outings he has three strikeouts and no walks, signaling sharper command and trust from his manager.
  • The Yankees added a cutter and a four-seam fastball to Bird’s sinker–slider mix to vary movement and fix predictable sequencing.
  • Assistant pitching coach Desi Druschel and coach Matt Blake are credited with bullpen-wide tweaks, as Tim Hill unveiled a slider, Camilo Doval’s sinker played up, and Brent Headrick added a sinker.
  • The team needs these gains after losing Devin Williams and Luke Weaver in free agency and with Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon sidelined into May, so early optimism comes with small-sample caution.