Yankees star rookie dominates Cubs in return from injury

Kevin Hickey

Yankees star rookie dominates Cubs in return from injury image

The New York Yankees got a major boost to the starting rotation with the return of Luis Gil from the injured list Saturday.

The star rookie wasted no time making an impact upon his return in a 3-0 win against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Pitching for the first time since hitting the injured list with a lower back strain, Gil was nothing short of dominant against the Cubs.

The hard-throwing righty tossed 6.0 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out seven batters.

There were some initial concerns about Gil's velocity on his fastball to begin the game. During the early innings, Gil's fastball was sitting around 91-94 mph. However, he eventually ramped it up later in the game, touching 98 mph multiple times.

Gil also seemed to mix in his slider much more than usual. On 89 pitches, Gil threw 47 fastballs and 40 sliders. The rookie generated 15 total swings and misses — seven on fastballs and six on sliders.

While there were questions about potentially moving Gil to the bullpen to aid a struggling unit, the Yankees will have no choice but to keep him in the rotation if he keeps this up.

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Kevin Hickey

Kevin Hickey Photo

Hickey was previously the managing editor of USA Today's Colts Wire. His work is also featured as a fantasy football analyst for The Huddle. A career .232 hitter, he is an avid reader of Spider-Man comics, an admirer of the James Webb Space Telescope, and a keen enthusiast of Ma’s sauce. You can find him on Twitter/X @KevinHickey11