Why Starters Going Deep In Games Is Better Than Mix & Matching A Pen Daily

The Yankees are winning. That’s good. Winning is fun. Winning keeps us from throwing remote controls at the TV. But here’s the question — can they actually keep it up? Or are we looking at the baseball equivalent of a reality show contestant hanging around just long enough to get a pity vote into the finals? Because as much as the front office would love to spin a Wild Card berth as some kind of triumph, let’s be real: a Wild Card team is just the third-place loser that got invited to the afterparty. It’s not an accomplishment, it’s an “oh, you’re still here?” moment.

Take Tuesday night, for example — Carlos Rodón pitches a gem, seven innings of work, the bats erupt for three homers, Yankees roll the Twins 9–1. That’s the blueprint. That’s how baseball is supposed to look in the Bronx.

Then came last night with Cam Schlittler, who lasted five innings, and you could feel the difference immediately. Suddenly, we’re mixing and matching arms like it’s a cooking competition and Aaron Boone is tossing ingredients together just to see if it works. Boone and his army of analytics nerds still haven’t figured out the obvious — pitchers are human beings, not spreadsheets. Sometimes the “on-paper” guy isn’t the right guy because, shocker, he’s actually out there feeling things and maybe doesn’t have his best stuff. 

But Boone? Nah. He’ll just overtax the bullpen and keep pretending it’s 100% sustainable.

The reality is simple — when your starter consistently goes six-plus innings, it saves the bullpen. Saves it for when it actually matters. It keeps your best relievers fresh for those late-game, high-leverage moments. But Boone can’t help himself. He’s the king of over-managing, turning matchups into science experiments. Look no further than Devin Williams. We don’t even want to see him in pinstripes anymore — and that’s on Boone’s bullpen blender routine.

Even Giancarlo Stanton, chatting with Meredith Marakovits after Rodón’s start, quietly dropped a truth bomb about “going deep into the game.” It was subtle, but you could hear the subtext: Hey Aaron, maybe notice this? Everybody in the dugout understands how vital it is — everyone except Boone and his numbers-only think tank.

When starters pitch deep, relievers get to stay in their roles, routines stay intact, and you’re not asking four guys to piece together the last twelve outs every single night. It also minimizes how often the opposing lineup gets a third look at the same pitcher, which is when hitters usually start to adjust and tee off.

That’s why this trade deadline was a joke. Sure, the Yankees made moves, but the rotation right now is basically held together with spit, duct tape, and Brian Cashman’s ego. It’s the same rotation as before the deadline… and we needed a quality starter that we didn’t get, and so making a statement that it as “Mission Accomplished” was weak, just like Cashman’s leadership. Even if — if — they stumble into the postseason through the backdoor Wild Card, does anyone honestly think this rotation is built for a short series? Spoiler: it’s not.

And that’s the root of the frustration. The Yankees aren’t run like a serious franchise anymore. They’re complacent. They’re comfortable selling fans on the “just get in and anything can happen” dream, while ignoring the fact that “anything” usually means getting bounced in the first round.

Winning is great. But sustaining it? That’s what great teams do. Right now, this front office doesn’t look like it even knows what that means.