Michael Pineda made his Yankees debut on Saturday against the Blue Jays, more than two years after he joined the club in the trade that sent then-prospect Jesus Montero to the Mariners. During spring training, Pineda injured the labrum in his right shoulder and eventually underwent surgery in May. Pineda missed all of the 2012 season and most of the 2013 season recovering.
In June last season, Pineda was finally cleared to begin pitching against live competition. He joined the Single-A Tampa Yankees for two starts, then the Double-A Trenton Thunder for two starts, and finally the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders for six starts. In total, the right-hander posted a 3.32 ERA with 41 strikeouts and 14 unintentional walks in 40 2/3 innings. The final step was spring training. In 15 innings this past spring, Pineda posted a 1.20 ERA with 16 strikeouts and one walk. At the end of March, manager Joe Girardi announced that Pineda would, at long last, be a part of the Yankees’ rotation.
In his Yankees debut tonight, the 25-year-old right-hander held the Jays to one run on five hits with no walks and five strikeouts over six innings. The Yankees, unfortunately, couldn’t support him with any offense and Pineda took a tough-luck loss. According to Pitch F/X, Pineda was in the 92-94 MPH range, hitting 95 at times.
The real test, of course, will be Pineda’s ability to turn in solid outings on a consistent basis. But step one, at least, was a huge success. The Yankees, who lost first baseman Mark Teixeira to injury on Friday, could use some uplifting news right about now.
