Mark Leiter Jr. Makes Bold Claim About Yankees Bullpen

It's a courageous statement with a team whose Bullpen ERA is 23rd in MLB. The only bullpens that are worse than their collective 4.62 ERA are the non-playoff teams: the Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Angels, Arizona Diamondbacks, who are 1.5 games out of a Wild Card spot if the Mets' implosion runs its course, the Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles, and the

Oakland Athletics, who currently play in a minor league complex.

Against the Minnesota Twins in game two of the series, the bullpen nearly blew a ten-run lead. The Yankees almost found themselves in the same position as in early August, suffering a catastrophic 13-12 loss to the lowly Miami Marlins. David Bednar, Camilo Doval, and Jake Bird, who now loom in the minors after being traded for Roc Riggio, all made their debuts and were responsible for blowing leads of 6-0, 9-4, and 12-10.

Manager Aaron Boone is likely thankful that he has the aforementioned Leiter, with his strong belief in his teammates, as one of the few bright spots in the Yankee bullpen over the last two games. He quelled the flames after Ryan Yarbrough let up four earned runs.

Leiter's 1.2 scoreless innings, followed by Devin Williams striking out two, ended the potential rally in Minnesota. Their demons in Miami didn't rear their ugly head—at least not that night.

The Yankees' dreams of winning the division are most likely at an end. That is partly due to the bullpen, which can range between wretched and somewhat satisfactory every night. They are five games out of the American League East, behind the Toronto Blue Jays. Their saving grace is that they are still two up on the Wild Card, and the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox trail them. Looking to get in are the Cleveland Guardians and Texas Rangers, who are both 2.5 and 3.5 games back in the Wild Card standings.

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