Since he was recalled from Triple-A on May 21, returning to the Yankees' bullpen after an early-season demotion, Ron Marinaccio has been virtually unhittable.
Adding 1.1 perfect innings during Thursday night's dramatic victory over the Rays, Marinaccio has now spun 8.2 scoreless frames since he was called up from the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
In that span, across seven appearances, the right-hander has faced 33 batters, allowing one hit, walking four and striking out 12.
He's also the first reliever in Yankees franchise history to record at least one strikeout in each of the first 10 appearances of his big-league career.
A native of Toms River, New Jersey, Marinaccio began this season as New York's No. 28 prospect, making the Opening Day roster after a tremendous campaign across two levels in the minor leagues a year ago.
There have definitely been some bumpy outings for Marinaccio in pinstripes. In April, the 26-year-old gave up five earned runs in a span of two consecutive outings, riding the Scranton Shuttle back to Triple-A with an 11.25 ERA to his name.
Even during this recent stretch of dominance, Marinaccio has at times struggled with his command. There was a game against Tampa Bay last month where Marinaccio loaded the bases (with back-to-back walks and a hit by pitch) before he buckled down and got out of the jam.
Manager Aaron Boone has loved what he's seen from the young reliever, though. Asked about Marinaccio's recent success after Thursday's game, Boone pointed out the right-hander's attitude, expecting greatness in his first extended stay in the Bronx.
"You see the reaction [to a bad outing] and his confidence doesn't take a hit because he's confident in his ability and stuff," Boone explained. "He's just kind of upset about it, mad and looking forward to get back out there. What I've loved is every hiccup he's had, which has only been a couple, he's been able to bounce right back. I think that's in part because of the confidence he walks out there with and the weapons that he walks out there with. That leads to that confidence. On in a big spot tonight and got four big outs for us."
Talk about weapons, Marinaccio's changeup is about as nasty and effective as any other pitch on New York's pitching staff. Opponents are hitting .056 (1-for-18 with 10 strikeouts) against that pitch in 2022, the offering that's helped him rocket through New York's system in recent years.
This run for Marinaccio is a glimpse at his future with the Yankees. On Thursday, he was perfect in the seventh and eighth innings of a tie ballgame, facing a talented lineup.
It's also a testament to just how deep the Yankees' bullpen is. With Aroldis Chapman and Jonathan Loáisiga on the injured list—and Chad Green out for the year—Boone is able to lean on relievers like Marinaccio, Wandy Peralta, Lucas Luetge and more to get the job done, regardless of whether this team is cruising to a victory or needs a clutch performance in a high-leverage situation.
More must-reads: