Ryan Yarbrough picked up a dazzling World Series ring from his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers last season. Then he went out and beat them.
The New York Yankees starter on Sunday pitched one-run ball over six innings, struck out a season-high five and blanked the Dodgers’ top four hitters in a 7-3 win.
“I feel like I’m in a really good place right now and really trying to continue that,” Yarbrough said. “I’m having a lot of fun.”
Photo: AP
The 33-year-old left-hander made 44 relief appearances between the Dodgers and Blue Jays last season. The Dodgers designated him for assignment on July 29 and the next day traded him to Toronto.
So even though he was not around for their World Series victory over the Yankees, Yarbrough earned a ring. He accepted it from Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes on Friday last week behind home plate during batting practice.
“Trying to keep that a little discreet, especially with where we’re at now, but kind of cool to be able to get that,” Yarbrough said.
He signed a US$2 million, one-year deal with New York in March and is 3-0 with a 2.83 ERA this season.
Making his first career start against the Dodgers, Yarbrough recorded 17 swings-and-misses — including seven with his sweeper.
The top four hitters in Los Angeles’ lineup had produced at least one hit in every game this season. That is until Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez, Freddie Freeman and Will Smith combined to go none for 14 in the series finale against Yarbrough and the Yankees.
New York manager Aaron Boone has called Yarbrough a throwback, noting his 1.96m frame creates a “funky” angle for hitters.
“He’s got a lot of ways to get you out. Just when you think he’s slowing you down, slowing you down, he’s able to speed you up enough,” Boone said. “It feels like it’s hard to get a bead on him.”
It certainly was for Ohtani. He struck out on five pitches in the first inning, when Yarbrough retired the side in order. Later, he set down 13 of 15 batters before exiting.
“He’s not going to light up the radar gun, but all his pitches feel like they get on you,” teammate D.J. LeMahieu said. “His fastballs look like they get on you and his off-speed looks extra slow. He’s got good stuff and he knows what he’s doing out there.”
Yarbrough conceded his familiarity with his former teammates helped, too.
“It was just a matter of execution and keeping them off balance, and not putting them in counts where they can really hunt for certain pitches,” he said.
It was also a big night for LeMahieu, who had his first four-hit game since 2021. He drove in two runs and raised his batting average to .239.
The second baseman had three singles and a double on a night when Aaron Judge was the only Yankees player without a hit.
“I feel good. Good to get some results,” LeMahieu said.
Elsewhere, the Brewers beat the Phillies 5-2, the Rangers routed the Cardinals 8-1, the Red Sox defeated the Braves 3-1, the Orioles edged the White Sox 3-2, the Giants mastered the Marlins 4-2, the Blue Jays overcame the Athletics 8-4 and the Guardians downed the Angels 4-2.
The Mets downed the Rockies 5-3, the Astros stung the Rays 1-0, the Tigers tamed the Royals 1-0, the Cubs crushed the Reds 7-3, the Diamondbacks defeated the Nationals 3-1, the Padres sank the Pirates 6-4 and the Mariners edged the Twins 2-1.
Additional reporting by staff writer
NO HARD FEELINGS: Taiwan’s Lin Hsiang-ti and Indonesia’s Dhinda Amartya Pratiwi embraced after fighting to a tense and rare 30-29 final game in their Uber Cup match The Taiwanese men’s team on Wednesday fought back from the brink of elimination to defeat Denmark in Group C and advance to the quarter-finals of the Thomas Cup, while the women’s team were to face South Korea after press time last night in the Uber Cup quarter-finals in Horsens, Denmark. In the first match, Taiwan’s top shuttler Chou Tien-chen faced a familiar opponent in world No. 3 Anders Antonsen. It was their 16th head-to-head matchup, with the Dane taking his fourth victory in a row against former world No. 2 Chou, winning 21-14, 13-21, 21-15 in 1 hour, 22 minutes. The
Marta Kostyuk’s maiden WTA 1000 title in Madrid came on Saturday thanks to her power, poise and a pair of unexpected lucky shorts. The world No. 23 beat eighth-ranked Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 7-5 in under 90 minutes to secure the most prestigious trophy of her career, her third professional singles title and second in less than a month after Rouen. Yet as the 23-year-old Ukrainian posed for photographs at the Caja Magica, it was not just the silverware that caught the eye. Held alongside her team and her two dogs, Kostyuk showed off a piece of black men’s underwear, prompting
Throwing more than US$5 billion at a divisive new tour and walking away after five seasons does not look like good business, but LIV Golf was not all bad news for Saudi Arabia. Oil-funded LIV, which poached top stars and sent golf’s establishment into a tailspin, helped push the conservative kingdom into global view — one of its key aims, experts said. The exit, confirmed on Thursday after weeks of speculation, does not signal a flight of Saudi money from sport, even after the Middle East war that sparked Iranian attacks around the Gulf, they said. “Saudi Arabia is not
Anastasia Potapova on Wednesday turned tennis heartbreak into history by becoming the first lucky loser to reach a WTA 1000 semi-final with her thrilling 6-1, 6-7 (4/7), 6-3 victory over Karolina Pliskova at the Madrid Open, as Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei exited in the women’s doubles quarter-finals. The Russian-born Austrian, who lost in qualifying last week, has capitalized on her unexpected main draw entry and stunned former world No. 1 Pliskova in a roller-coaster clash despite squandering three match points. Potapova’s run has included impressive victories over former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko and world No. 2 Elena Rybakina. Asked if she had thought
RSS