After this first inning, there wasn't a lot to cheer for as the New York Yankees demolished the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday night to tie up the series at one game apiece.
However, looking at this game from a larger perspective, there are a few bright spots that Guardians fans can get excited about moving forward.
Tim Herrin Is The Real Deal
After Hunter Gaddis gave up eight earned runs, Tim Herrin took the mound in relief and looked fantastic!
He pitched for 2.0 innings and only gave up one hit and struck out one batter while going through the heart of this Yankees lineup which is absolutely stacked.
Herrin is off to a great start to the season after having a long shot of making the club at the start of Spring Training. He's already appeared in six games pitching a total of 6.2 innings. Herrin has struck out 10 batters while posting a WHIP of 0.90.
It'll be fun to watch him continue to develop throughout the season!
Xzavion Curry Saves The Bullpen
The alarms were ringing loud when Gaddis was pulled in the fourth inning of Tuesday's game. Cleveland is down two starters due to injury and Peyton Battenfield, Wednesday's presumable starter, was in the bullpen just in case a situation such as this one arose.
But after Herrin pitched two innings in relief, Xzavion Curry came in and pitched out the rest game which was a huge boost for this Guardians bullpen which has already been heavily taxed through the first few weeks of the season.
Curry pitched four innings, allowed four hits, and three runs, and struck out three as well. It may not seem like that big of deal, but this performance will help the team over the next few days.
Terry Francona's Reaction
These performances didn't go unnoticed by Terry Francona amid a sour performance overall by the team. After the game, Tito complimented both players saying,
"(Curry) saved our bullpen. And hopefully tomorrow, I'm sitting here after a win, he'll be a part of that." ...
"(Herrin's) stuff is pretty good, really good actually ... It's not the finished product, and that's not his fault. But there's a lot to not just like, but there's a lot to love there."
Watch the rest of Tito's presser here:
The MLB season is a long one and sometimes the game isn't going to go your way like it did on Tuesday. But it's important to find these small wins, even in the losses, to realize the bigger goal.
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