Sep 30, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone (17) takes out New York Yankees pitcher Luke Weaver (30) during the seventh inning against the Boston Red Sox during game one of the Wildcard round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Yankees Reliever Finally Breaks Brutal Streak

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Joseph Randazzo | Last updated Oct 6, 2025 5:00 PM ET

Luke Weaver's time with the New York Yankees has been an overall positive experience. It started when the Seattle Mariners designated him for assignment in September 2023. When the Yankees claimed him off waivers, the team's playoff hopes were already up in smoke, and it would have taken a miracle to reach October.

Wearing a 6.77 ERA, and having travelled from Cincinnati to Seattle, and then New York, Weaver didn't have much to lose, and he ended up impressing the Yankees enough in his three starts that they brought him back next year. His most notable moment in 2023 was 5.1 shutout innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks, who would find themselves in the World Series that season. A year later, Weaver stepped up as the closer for the Yankees during their own World Series run.

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The version of Weaver the Yankees have now looks more like the one who spent most of his 2023 living out of a suitcase, travelling up and down the United States, hoping to stick with a team. According to Katie Sharp on X, Weaver became the first pitcher in Yankees history to face six batters and not record an out over the course of two postseason games.

Luke Weaver has faced six batters this postseason:

Walk, double, single, walk, single, single pic.twitter.com/4o9FVWHVGZ
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) October 4, 2025

Weaver, the soon-to-be free agent, finally did record an out in game two against the Toronto Blue Jays. That was after he replaced Will Warren, who manager Aaron Boone left in the game to wear the loss. On one pitch, Daulton Varsho flew out to the left fielder Cody Bellinger. It was a 344-foot fly ball that flew off his bat at 97.7 MPH.

Luke Weaver now has a 135.00 ERA in .1 IP for the Yankees this postseason. It's sad to see because Weaver was such a rock last October. Last postseason he pitched 15.1 IP to the tune of a 1.76 ERA. He struck out 16 and only walked two. In seven of his twelve outings, he pitched more than an inning. He achieved this feat in three consecutive games on one occasion last October, and in two straight games on another.

When Weaver was asked about his struggles this year, he said it has been a mechanical issue as well as a mental one.

"I don't want to get too crazy into it, but there's been adjustments I've have to make based off of things that people are seeing," Weaver said, according to SNY on X.

"It just hasn't really lined up. It's been pretty late in the adjustment period and it's just not lining up out there. I don't really feel like myself. I don't feel like my mind is completely clear to go out there and attack. I do feel physically strong, I do feel mentally strong overall. I just think there's just some factors that are building up and I'm just not executing at the clip I want to."

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