Yankees bullpen's 'fearless' discovery turned into high-leverage weapon

KANSAS CITY — When Michael Tonkin made his Yankees debut in April, a day after being claimed off waivers, it seemed like there was a chance he wouldn't be back in the clubhouse the next day.

Tonkin threw 26 pitches and took the loss to the Brewers in Milwaukee on April 26, blowing a lead on a save in the 10th and giving up a single in the 11th.

After an eventful extra game on a streak of 17 straight games without a day off, it was possible that a new face would be in the Yankees bullpen the next afternoon in Tonkin's place. Teams always evaluate the importance of a new weapon, making sure they are covered.

At that time, the Tonkin seemed unusable. He had already been designated for assignment three times that month – twice by the Mets and once by the Twins – with a 5.23 ERA next to his name on the season.

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But the Yankees saw something in the right-hander and stuck with him.

To say that this decision paid off would be an understatement.

After pitching a scoreless ninth inning to close out Monday night's 4-2 win over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium — Tonkin's second career save — the right-hander has a 0.89 ERA in 14 outings (20 1/ 3 innings) since his arrival. to the Yankees. Opposing hitters are hitting just .162 against the sidearmer and Tonkin has an impressive WHIP of 0.93.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone revealed after the game that he was staying away from Clay Holmes because the closer had pitched in three of the Yankees' previous four games. However, he had no problem getting the ball to Tonkin there. Not after he's rapidly climbed the ranks of his trust tree over the past six weeks.

“He loves fire,” Boone said. “He loves competition. … He is courageous. He is fearless and very competitive. He fits well in this room and I have confidence getting him the ball.

For Tonkin, being part of a team where people have confidence in him is a luxury he didn't have in April. He called his first month of the season “chaotic” and “far from ideal.” But it's worth it, he says, because of the position he's in now.

“It's good to be in the rhythm, to be comfortable and to be in a position where I feel like I'm not afraid of getting tapped on the shoulder after every match,” he said. declared Tonkin. “All that kind of helps.”

Tonkin, 34, throws two different types of fastballs — a four-seam and a two-seam — to accompany a slider. He said he has thrown the slider at a higher rate since joining the Yankees and has continued to feel more comfortable with his two-seam fastball. It's a pitch he started throwing this spring after not using it for more than seven years.

This pitch mix and growing confidence allows him to flourish from being a cleaner in the back of the bullpen reserved for eating innings to serving as a legitimate high-leverage weapon.

“The biggest thing is the guy fills the zone and he's not afraid to throw, that's for sure,” Yankees starter Carlos Rodón said. “The proof is in the pudding. You see a guy who attacks the zone and not many guys walk, you can tell he has no fear in the way he carries himself on the mound.

And while the Yankees have a history of getting the most out of all types of weapons – pitching coach Matt Blake and the entire Yankees pitching department are considered elite in this area – Tonkin still deserves a lot of the credit.

“It’s not like we’ve overhauled it to any great extent,” Boone said. “He came in here and just took advantage of the opportunities and pitched really well. You add to that fitting in and now joining our pitching group, which does a good job of maximizing guys' arsenal, hopefully we continue to see impactful performances.

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Max Goodman can be contacted at [email protected].