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Yankees’ Clarke Schmidt makes painful tipping admission after allowing crucial home run vs. Mariners

Originally posted on ClutchPoints | By Matthew Schmidt | Last updated 5/22/24

New York Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt was dealt his second loss of the season on Tuesday night, as the Yankees fell 6-3 to the Seattle Mariners.

Schmidt clearly didn’t have his best stuff, throwing 100 pitches over five innings. He definitely wasn’t terrible, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out six batters, but he was forced to grind through innings, and he made a big mistake in the third frame that allowed the Mariners to jump out in front.

After allowing a one-out double to third baseman Josh Rojas, Schmidt threw a full-count cutter to Dylan Moore. The ball stayed up, and Moore drove it over the left-field fence for a two-run home run. Not only did the cutter not really cut, but Schmidt said afterward that he unfortunately tipped his pitch.

“Obviously tipping is a part of this game and it’s a factor and it’s always in the back of our heads and something that we’re well aware of,” Schmidt said, via The Associated Press.

Apparently, Rojas informed Moore that the cutter was coming, which obviously played a significant role in Moore’s homer.

The Yankees have now dropped the first two games of this four-game series against Seattle.

Clarke Schmidt has been outstanding for the Yankees this season

New York Yankees starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt (36) delivers a pitch during the third inning against the Seattle Mariners at Yankee Stadium. Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Aside from that little hiccup on Tuesday evening, Schmidt has actually been terrific for the Yankees in 2024.

He has gone 5-2 with a 2.59 ERA, surrendering 46 hits while fanning 61 hitters over 55.2 innings of work. Prior to the loss against the Mariners, Schmidt had not allowed an earned run in either of his previous two starts. As a matter of fact, he pitched eight shutout innings in a win over the Minnesota Twins last week.

Schmidt, who played his collegiate baseball at the University of South Carolina, was selected by New York with the 16th overall pick of the 2017 MLB Draft.

He was considered a top-100 prospect several years ago and ended up making his big-league debut in 2020, although he made just three appearances. He then made another three trips to the mound in 2021 before taking on a full-time role in 2022.

Schmidt transitioned to a reliever role that season, with 29 of his 32 appearances coming out of the bullpen. He went 5-5 with a 3.12 ERA, giving up 46 hits and registering 56 punchouts across 57.2 frames of action.

Last year, the 28-year-old moved back into the starting rotation and struggled, going 9-9 with a 4.64 ERA across 32 starts. He allowed 24 home runs and posted a concerning 1.352 WHIP, and it was beginning to look like Schmidt was a disappointment.

But this season, Schmidt has been a revelation for the Yanks, as has their entire pitching staff without the services of Gerrit Cole.

The Yankees boast a 2.92 ERA, which ranks No. 1 in all of baseball. Three of their five starters have sub-3 ERAs, and the highest ERA on the team is Nestor Cortes at 3.56.

Cole has been sidelined since spring training with nerve inflammation in his elbow, but the 2023 AL Cy Young award winner may be on track to return next month.

If the Bronx Bombers can get a healthy Cole back in the rotation, they will become that much scarier.

This article first appeared on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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