BRONX, NY — Luis Gil was the story once again, pitching like an ace on Thursday afternoon, as the Yankees shutout the Mariners, 5-0, at Yankee Stadium.
Yanks RHP Luis Gil 🇩🇴 walks off the mound following his 6.1 inning performance this afternoon, where he allowed one hit, two walks, and recorded 8 strikeouts ⚾️🔥#RepBX #Yankees #MLB #LasMayores pic.twitter.com/nyPKid2pWt
— Latino Sports (@LatinoSports) May 23, 2024
The 25-year-old rookie right-hander from Azua, Dominican Republic, has become more effective each time he strolls out on the rubber — dominating the month of May with a 0.59 ERA over five starts (5-0), to go along with 35 strikeouts and a .117 opponent batting average. Oh, and Gil, across 30.2 innings in May, has only allowed 12 hits… The Real Deal.
“He’s been one of the best pitchers in the league,” said Yankees manager Aaron Boone following New York’s 35th win of the season (35-17). “Just continues to get better and better.”
“He’s got amazing talent, a great ceiling, and he’s delivering.”
Luis Gil walks off the mound after his duel against fellow countryman Luis Castillo, of Baní, Dominican Republic (2023 AL LatinoMVP Starting Pitcher of the Year) on Thursday afternoon, and receives a standing ovation from the Bronx crowd of 43,121 – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
Speaking of delivering, Thursday’s performance put Gil in rare pinstripe company — joining Steve Kline (1972) and CC Sabathia (2011), as the only Yankees in franchise history to record at least six innings while surrendering one or zero runs over five straight starts.
On his consistency, and development throughout each outing, Gil said through team interpreter Marlon Abreu: “I think it has to do with training, and really focusing on your routine in between starts — making sure you do the same thing and you prepare the same way, especially if you’re getting good results. You keep doing that as long as you can.”
Boone on the same sentiment: “I think he’s really developed a really good routine, and his work has been excellent. Not just between the lines, but on the other days. He’s been learning and growing. It’s been fun to watch that.”
Luis Gil made his MLB debut back in 2021 with the Yankees, and was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery in 2022 due to a severe-elbow injury, which sidelined him for the remainder of the season, and most of 2023. He has 17 MLB starts in his career – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
For a 25-year-old rookie to be hitting on all cylinders, and achieve unprecedented benchmarks, there comes a point when we ask what is helping lead Gil to the success:
“I think it has to do with all the advice that I have gotten from our pitching coach (Matt Blake) and Gerrit Cole,” Gil said. “When they are giving you pointers, you want to make sure that you listen and understand what the pointers are. And you want to be as effective as possible taking that into the game. What they have provided for me, it has been great for me.”
“It’s really understanding how things are going to help me out there in-game. For example, making sure that my mechanics are the same, compact and consistent.”
Robert Rizzo is a journalist and editor of Latino Sports – Email: RobertRiz994@gmail.com
Follow us on Social Media for updates and exclusive content
Instagram: @latinosportsoficial
Facebook: Latino Sports
Twitter: @latinosports
