TAMPA – The conversation that Fernando Cruz says changed everything occurred this past spring, when the Yankees reliever was well into a six-week deep dive tweaking his mechanics. Hoping to make a good first impression with what he calls his “dream team,” Cruz was instead getting shelled. Cruz says he did not panic about his poor spring performance, but the Yankees’ coaching staff was beginning to wonder when the changes might click in. That prompted bullpen coach Mike Harkey to take Cruz aside, a chat that the 35-year-old right-hander said “changed everything” and paved the way for early season success. “I’m really confident right now in all my pitches,” Cruz said. “Everything we worked on in Spring Training for six weeks, it’s paying off. Thank God I took those six weeks to work on my craft for the first time. I actually did not worry about the numbers, because I was doing a lot of changes at the same time. “The information and everything I was getting from the staff was really good, the feedback for the pitches. We just kind of put everything together.” |
Harkey said the meat and potatoes of their discussion centered around Cruz’s delivery. Acquired from the Reds in a December trade that sent catcher José Trevino to Cincinnati, Cruz leads the Majors with a 13.95 K/9 IP ratio since the beginning of the 2024 season, but he has battled inconsistency at times. “Everything was max effort, falling off the rubber,” Harkey said. “So we just tried to take a little bit off the delivery and get him to not feel like he had to throw the ball 100 miles an hour every time. “If his delivery is more under control, it means he’s going to have better fastball command, and that’s what he’s been doing for the last two weeks.” Said Cruz: “I was trying too hard. [Harkey] told me, ‘Hey, you just need to stick with yourself, because you have a great arm. You just need to stay calm and stay within yourself.’ We talk a lot, but that conversation changed a lot of things.” Cruz’s splitter is a hellacious weapon, one that he refers to as his “gift from God.” Carlos Rodón referred to it as “a glitch pitch,” while Anthony Volpe said “it doesn’t even make sense.” “I’ve never seen so many bad swings in my life from good hitters, looking like they’ve never swung,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “It’s unbelievable. I wish we were keeping count. Back to Spring Training, it’s probably 25 swings that I’ve never seen that bad of a swing on a pitch.” |
Harkey said Cruz’s splitter is “the best I’ve ever seen,” dropping a comparison to Bryan Harvey, who starred out of the bullpen for the Angels and Marlins in the late 1980s and early ’90s. “The arm speed he puts on it, he’s got a lot of deception and it’s got a lot of movement on it,” Harkey said. “The variance between that and his fastball is huge. It’s almost like Trevor Hoffman-like, where he’s got a 10- or 12-[mph] difference between that and his best fastball.” And the Yankees believed they could fine-tune Cruz’s repertoire further. Pitching coach Matt Blake suggested they ditch a cutter that was hit hard last season (.333 BA, .765 SLG) last season, while filling out his arsenal with a two-seamer and a slider. The results were not immediate. This Spring Training, Cruz was dented for nine runs (seven earned) on 10 hits and two walks across 6 1/3 innings, surrendering three home runs, though he did strike out 11. “We knew what we were getting and who we were getting, but we hadn’t been around him yet,” Boone said. “We were confident that he was working on some different things. I know the pitching group was working on different ways to go about it, to move the needle and get that much better.” Cruz kept his faith in the process, and now he is being rewarded. Cruz has not allowed an earned run in nine of his first 10 appearances as a Yankee, striking out 19 of 47 batters faced across 12 innings, a 14.25 K/9 IP ratio.
Entering play Sunday, Cruz ranked second in strikeouts (first in th American League), sixth in strikeout rate (fourth in the AL) and seventh in K/9.0 IP (fifth in the AL) among relievers. He recorded his first career save this past week, tossing two scoreless innings against the Royals on Wednesday in New York, then notched another Sunday against the Rays in Tampa.
“Helping my team, helping my dream team to win games in key situations, it’s just a dream come true,” Cruz said. “Everything is just a dream to me. I’m really grateful, really content and really happy for what’s happening with me.” |
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MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
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The Yankees continue their road trip this week, visiting the Guardians at Progressive Field for a rematch of last year’s American League Championship Series. Probable starters: Today: RHP Clarke Schmidt (0-0, 4.76) vs. RHP Gavin Williams (1-1, 4.58) Tuesday: RHP Will Warren (1-0, 5.17) vs. RHP Tanner Bibee (1-2, 5.85) Wednesday: LHP Carlos Rodón (2-3, 4.34) vs. RHP Luis Ortiz (2-2, 5.48) On Friday, the Yankees return home for a three-game series against the Blue Jays. For tickets and information, visit www.yankees.com/tickets. |
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Which of the following Yankees was not involved in recording the final out of a perfect game? A. Scott Brosius B. Josh Donaldson C. Paul O’Neill D. Bernie Williams |
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THIS DATE IN YANKEES HISTORY |
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April 21, 2012: Trailing by nine runs after five innings, the Yankees rallied to score 15 unanswered runs and stun the Red Sox, 15-9, at Fenway Park. Mark Teixeira homered twice and drove in six runs, while Nick Swisher also homered in a six-RBI performance, helping to spoil the week-long celebration of Fenway’s centennial. |
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D. Williams Brosius caught the final out of David Cone’s 1999 perfect game, Donaldson fielded the ground ball that ended Domingo Germán’s 2023 perfecto, and O’Neill made the catch that secured David Wells’ perfect game in 1998. Williams played in two of those three games, but he didn’t touch the final out. |
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