Luis Gil has had an impressive first full season as a starter for the New York Yankees. However, despite contributing to a 7-4 win over the Oakland Athletics on Sunday, his manager, Aaron Boone, remains concerned about one aspect of his game: his struggles in the first inning.
When asked by the YES Network if Gil’s early-game issues in his last two starts were worrisome, Boone replied, “Yeah, a little bit. You want him to get into a rhythm early. That first inning the last few [starts] has been a bugaboo for him.”
In Sunday’s game, Gil retired the first two batters before issuing walks to JJ Bleday and Shea Langeliers, leading to a two-run double by Tyler Soderstrom.
He rebounded afterward, leaving two runners on base when he exited in the sixth inning, though reliever Ian Hamilton later allowed those runners to score on a Ryan Noda double.
In his previous start against the Seattle Mariners, Gil was fortunate to escape the first inning without giving up any runs.
After hitting the first batter and loading the bases with walks, Mariners DH Victor Robles was thrown out trying to steal home, ending the inning.
Gil’s control issues in the first inning have been a season-long trend. Prior to Sunday, opposing hitters had a .336 on-base percentage against him in the opening frame, and he’s issued 25 walks and hit two batters across the first innings of his 28 starts.
Interestingly, despite these struggles, his first-inning ERA is his best across all innings, posting a 2.25 ERA and limiting opponents to a .158 batting average. Overall, Gil boasts a 15-6 record with a stellar 3.27 ERA and 166 strikeouts over 146 innings.
Though Gil is on track to start in the postseason, his inability to consistently throw strikes in the first inning could be a concern when facing the league’s top offenses.
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