HOUSTON ASTROS NOTES:
TONIGHT’S GAME: Tonight is the 2nd game of a 4-game series at Yankee Stadium…RHP Hunter Brown (7-7) will start for the Astros vs. Yankees RHP Luis Severino (2-5).
VS. THE YANKS: The current series is the first matchup of the season between the Astros and Yankees…HOU was 5-2 vs. NYY in 2022, going 3-0 at home and 2-2 in the Bronx…ALCS: The Astros swept the Yankees in the 2022 ALCS, clinching the series with a 6-5 victory in Game 4 on 10/23 at Yankee Stadium…All-Time: The Astros are 30-39 all-time vs. NYY in the regular season and 13-5 vs. NYY in the postseason, having won all 4 postseason series (2015, 2017, 2019, 2022).
BROTHER BROWN:RHP Hunter Brown has been one of the top rookie performers this year, leading all Major League rookies in pitching WAR (2.2)…he trails only 3B Gunnar Henderson (2.8) IF Josh Jung (2.7) and SS Anthony Volpe (2.6) for the highest WAR of all AL rookies, regardless of position…COLLECTING K’S:Brown leads AL rookies with 111.1 IP and 126 strikeouts… has already logged the 10th-most strikeouts in a season by an Astros rookie pitcher…next up are LHP Jim Deshaies (128) and RHP Lance McCullers Jr. (129).
LAST NIGHT’S RECAP: The Astros were edged by the Yankees in last night’s series opener, 4-3…RHP Cristian Javier had ND as the starter (4.2 IP, 3 ER)…RHP Kendall Graveman (3-5) took the loss in relief…the Yankees flipped the script early on Javier, scoring 3 runs in the 1st inning…entering the game, Javier had allowed just 1 hit and no runs in 12.1 career IP at Yankee Stadium…Martin Maldonado was 3×3 with an RBI… Kyle Tucker added a solo HR (#19).
KNOCKING ON THE CLUB DOOR: Kyle Tucker needs 1 HR to become the 1st AL player this season to reach 20 HR and 20 SB…thus far, 2 NL players are in this club (Ronald Acuna Jr.-25 HR/51 SB; Corbin Carroll-21 HR/34 SB)…in addition to Tucker, one other AL player is knocking on the door (Bobby Witt, Jr.-19 HR/31 SB)…Tucker was also a 20/20 club member in 2022 (30 HR/25 SB).
RECENT STROS: The Astros have won 3 of 4, 4 of 6 and 10 of their last 15 games…Post All-Star: The Astros 12-7 record since the All-Star Break is 2nd-best in the AL.
Since the All-Star Break – AL
- Baltimore: 13-7 (.650)
- Houston: 12-7 (.632)
- Texas: 11-7 (.611)
ROAD WARRIORS: Tonight is the 2nd game (0-1 thus far) of a 7-game road trip, during which the Astros will visit (NYY-4g) and BAL-3g), respectively…HOU is 31-23 (.574) on the road this season, which is 2nd-best in the AL.
TOUGH STRETCH: The Astros are 6-4 thus far into a stretch of playing eight of nine series against opponents that currently have a .500-or-better record…during this stretch, the Astros have faced the Rangers (2-1), Rays (1-2), Guardians (3-0) and Yankees (0-1)…the Orioles, Angels, Marlins, Mariners and Red Sox are the remaining opponents in this stretch.
TUVE-METER: Jose Altuve, who is in his 13th season, is closing in on some milestones…he enters tonight needing 1 HR to reach 200, 24 hits to reach 2,000, 13 SB to reach 300 and 13 doubles to reach 400…in the Astros all-time rankings, Altuve ranks 1st in batting avg. (.306), 3rd in hits (1,976), runs (1,017) and doubles (387) and 4th in games (1,617) and SB (287).
ROADIES: Both RHP Phil Maton and RHP Hector Neris have been stellar on the road for the Astros in 2023…their road ERAs rank 2nd and 3rd in the Majors among relievers…see below:
Road Stats
Maton: 1-1, 27 G, 1.09 ERA, 24.2 IP, 13 H, 3 ER, 23 SO, .159 opp. avg.
Neris: 4-1, 25 G, 1.21 ERA, 22.1 IP, 10 H, 24 SO, .137 opp. avg.
RBI SENIORS ADVANCE: The Astros Senior Boys RBI team has advanced to the RBI World Series championship game, which will be today vs. Atlanta at 6:30 p.m. (streamed live on mlb.com).
FRAMBULOUS!: On Tuesday night, LHP Framber Valdez tossed the 15th regular season no-hitter in franchise history in a 2-0 victory over the Guardians…Valdez was masterful, as he allowed just one base runner, a walk in the 5th, who was erased on a double play, allowing him to face the minimum 27 batters.
ABOUT THE NO-HITTER: The no-hitter thrown by LHP Framber Valdez was historical in several ways: • was the Astros 15th regular season no-hitter and the 16th overall, and the 1st ever by an Astros LHP.
- the Astros last no-hitter came in Game 4 of the 2022 World Series, which was a combined effort, started by RHP Cristian Javier, who also started the Astros last regular season no-hitter on June 25, 2022 at NYY (also combined).
- the Astros last no-hitter by a single pitcher was thrown by RHP Justin Verlander on Sept. 1, 2019 at TOR…the last Astros no-hitter at Minute Maid Park was a combined no-hitter on Aug. 3, 2019 vs. SEA, started by RHP Aaron Sanchez.
- Valdez needed only 93 pitches and per Sarah Langs, this ranks as the the third-lowest total in a no-hitter since pitch counts started being tracked in 1988…the others were tossed by the Astros RHP Daryl Kile (83) on Sept. 8, 1993, and the Yankees RHP David Cone (88) on July 18, 1999.
- per STATS, the Astros have thrown five no-hitters in five years (2019-23), including the postseason…that’s the most no-hitters by any team over a five-year span in MLB history
JV’S RETURN: RHP Justin Verlander is returning to Houston for what will be his seventh consecutive season in an Astros uniform…a few notes on Verlander’s accolades:
- Verlander, 40, returns to the Astros after a six-year stint with the club from 2017-22…during those six seasons, he went 61-19 with a 2.26 ERA (164ER/652IP) with 825 strikeouts, a 0.83 WHIP and a .184 opponent batting average in 102 starts.
- as an Astro: two AL Cy Young Awards (2019, 2022), three All-Star Game selections, the 2017 ALCS MVP Award and two World Series Championships.
- in his Astros postseason career, Verlander has gone 9-6 with a 3.87 ERA (47ER/109.1IP) in 19 games (18 starts) including a complete game in the 2017 ALCS against the Yankees…he is the Astros postseason franchise record-holder in wins and starts.
TONIGHT’S ASTROS STARTER: RHP HUNTER BROWN
LAST START – 7/29 VS. TB: allowed 2 runs on 4 hits with 2 walks and 4 strikeouts in 6.0 innings…notched his 2nd consecutive quality start and his 10th quality start of the season.
HISTORIC START: his 148 career strikeouts are the 3rd-most by an Astros pitcher through their 1st 27 career outings, trailing RHP Tom Griffin (174) and RHP Lance McCullers Jr. (166).
- started his career 5-0 through his first 12 games (7 starts)…per Elias, was 1st Astros pitcher to win their first 5 decisions since RHP Josh James won his first 7 decisions from 2018-19.
GROUND CONTROL: ranks 2nd among AL pitchers with a 53.7 ground ball percentage, trailing only teammate Framber Valdez (55.2%)…Brown’s groundball percentage is
also the 5th-best ground ball percentage among MLB starting pitchers.
VS. NYY: is making his 1st career start and 1st career regular season appearance against the New York Yankees.
- made 1 appearance during the 2022 ALCS in Game 3, allowed 2 walks and in 0.2 of a scoreless inning.
LEAGUE LEADERBOARD: among qualified MLB rookie starting pitchers, he ranks T-1st in wins (7), 2nd in strikeouts (126), 2nd in innings (111.1 IP), 2nd in ERA (4.12), 2nd in WHIP (1.30) and 2nd in opponent batting average (.256).
DIESEL: is averaging 91.8 mph with his slider, which is tied for the hardest slider among all MLB pitchers with SD RHP Brent Honeywell (91.8 mph), ahead of CWS RHP Gregory Santos (91.7 mph) and RHP Mike Baumann (91.5 mph) per Baseball Savant.
AMONG THE BEST: According to WAR produced by STATS, Brown has been one of the most valuable rookie in the AL this season with a 2.2 WAR…he is behind only BAL IF Gunnar Henderson (2.8) TEX IF Josh Jung (2.7), and NYY IF Anthony Volpe (2.6)…the Astros have had a top five finisher in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 4 straight seasons: SS Jeremy Peña (5th in 2022), RHP Luis Garcia (2nd in 2021), RHP Cristian Javier (3rd in 2020) and LF Yordan Alvarez (1st in 2019).
STRIKEOUT KING: from May 14-May 31, he recorded 8+ K’s in 4 consecutive starts…the last Astros rookie to strike out 8+ batters in 4 consecutive starts was RHP Roy Oswalt, who did so in 6 straight games from Aug. 14-Sept. 9 in 2001…Brown owns 1 of 30 all-time streaks from Astros pitchers of 4+ starts with 8+ strikeouts, with LHP Framber Valdez the last to do so at 4 games from Aug. 4-Sept. 12 in 2022.
SOLID STREAK: made back-to-back starts on April 9 and April 15 in which he recorded at least 7.0 IP without allowing an ER…the last Astros pitcher to do so was LHP Scott Kazmir, who made 2 such starts in a row in 2015 (July 24-July 30, 2015).
NEW YORK YANKEES NOTES:
AT A GLANCE: The Yankees continue their seven-game homestand tonight with the second game of a four-game series vs. Houston (1-0 thus far)…are 2-2 on the homestand after losing two-of-three games vs. Tampa Bay and winning their series opener against Houston…after this homestand, will embark on a nine-game road trip to Chicago-AL (Mon.- Wed.), Miami (8/11-13) and Atlanta (8/14-16).
Are in a stretch of playing 12-of-15 games at home (7/21- 8/6)…overall, are 7-5 during that stretch and 6-3 at home during that span.
Are 15-11 vs. the AL West this season, winning six of their eight completed series vs. the division.
YESTERDAY’S NEWS: The Yankees defeated the Astros, 4-3, in their series opener on Thursday at Yankee Stadium… RHP Clarke Schmidt (5.0IP, 4H, 2ER, 1BB, 4K, 0HR, 1HP, 2WP) started and did not record a decision despite allowing just 2ER in 5.0IP…RF Giancarlo Stanton (1-for-4, 1R, 1HR, 2RBI) hit a go-ahead two-run HR in the first inning…LF/RF Billy McKinney (1-for-4, 1R, 1HR, 1RBI) hit a solo HR in the first inning…SS Anthony Volpe (1-for-2, 1RBI, 1BB) reached base twice and hit a go-ahead RBI single in the sixth inning…2B Gleyber Torres (2-for-3, 1BB) recorded his second straight multi-hit game and reached base at least three times for his second straight game…CF Harrison Bader (0-for-3, 1R, 1BB, 1SB) walked and stole second base in the sixth inning before scoring the go-ahead run on Volpe’s RBI single…LHP Wandy Peralta (0.1IP, 2H, 1ER, 1HR) allowed a game-tying solo HR to Kyle Tucker in the sixth inning…RHP Michael King (1.2IP, 1H, 2K), RHP Tommy Kahnle (1.0IP) and RHP Clay Holmes (SV, 1.0IP, 2H) were scoreless in relief.
PEN PALS: Yankees relievers have allowed just 2R/ER in their last 24.2 innings and just 3R/ER in their last 29.1 innings over their last eight games, posting a 0.92 ERA over that eight-game stretch (14H, 7BB, 30K, 2HR, 1HP).
Have posted a Major League-best 3.06 ERA (405.2IP, 138ER) this season…are the only Major League bullpen to own an ERA under 3.50…also own a Major League-best .217 opponents’ BA, rank second in HR/9.0IP (0.84) and rank third in WHIP (1.21).
STANTON ISLAND: DH/OF Giancarlo Stanton hit a go-ahead two-run HR in the first inning on Thursday…since 2021, has hit 7HR in 14 games vs. the Astros…over that span, is hitting .308/.368/.750 (16-for-52) with 9R, 7HR, 15RBI and 5BB in those 14 games against Houston.
Seven of his last 11HR have given the Yankees the lead.
Has homered in back-to-back games for the third time this season (also 2G from 4/1-2 and 7/14-15).
Has driven in six of the Yankees’ 11 runs over their last two games.
Has 9HR and 21RBI in his last 20 games (since 7/8).
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK: INF Anthony Volpe reached base twice and hit a go-ahead RBI single in the sixth inning on Thursday…is batting .400/.471/.667 (6-for-15) with 1R, 1 double, 1HR, 3RBI and 2BB over his last five games (since 7/30).
Has reached base safely in 11 of his last 14 starts (since 7/17).
HOLMES SWEET HOLMES: RHP Clay Holmes tossed a scoreless ninth inning on Thursday to record his 15th save of the year…has not allowed a run in 30 of his last 33 appearances (since 5/6), going 4-0 with 11 saves and a 0.83 ERA (32.2IP, 3ER) in that span…his 0.83 ERA since 5/6 is the second-lowest ERA among all Major League pitchers in that span (min. 30.0IP), trailing only Baltimore’s Félix Bautista (0.49).
WILD BILL: OF Billy McKinney hit his sixth HR of the season with a solo home run in the first inning on Thursday…has reached base in 11-of-25 plate appearances over his last nine games since 7/16 (4H, 6BB, 1HP, .440 OBP).
All six of his home runs this season have come at home… the Yankees are 6-0 when he homers.
Has hit .295/.368/.656 (18-for-61) with 12R, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 6HR, 11RBI and 7BB in 21 home games this year… has reached base safely in 19 of 21 home games and hit safely in 17 of those games.
FOUR SCORE: The Yankees are 47-12 this season when scoring at least 4R…are 49-18 this season when holding their opponent to 4R-or-fewer.
GLEYBER DAY: INF Gleyber Torres recorded his second straight multi-hit game and reached base three times for his second straight game on Thursday…marks the second time this season he has reached base at least three times in back-to-back games (also 2G from 5/23-24)…has reached base in 6-of-8 plate appearances over that span (5H, 1BB)…if he were to extend the streak tonight, it would mark the third time in his career he has reached base at least three times in three straight games (3G from 6/26-30/19 and 4/4-7/19).
Is 6-for-11 (.545) with 3R, 2 doubles, 1RBI, 1BB and 1SB over his last three games.
Has hit safely in 19 of his last 22 games (since 7/6), hitting .326 (29-for-89) with 13R, 3 doubles, 1 triple, 3HR, 9RBI, 4BB, 3SF and 2SB in that span…has also hit safely in 24 of his last 29 games (since 6/29) and 26 of his last 32 games (since 6/25).
Has reached base in 28 of his last 33 games (since 6/24) and 41 of his last 47 games (since 6/8-G1).
Has 40BB in 108 games this season, surpassing his 2022 total (39BB in 140 games).
Has struck out just three times in his last 42 plate appearances (since 7/23)…his 7.32 PA/K is a career-best.
DARTH BADER: OF Harrison Bader walked and stole second base in the sixth inning on Thursday before scoring the go-ahead run on Volpe’s RBI single…has reached base safely in 14 of his last 16 games (since 7/15), 16 of his last 19 games (since 7/8) and 19 of his last 23 games (since 7/3).
Is batting .324 (11-for-34) with 8R, 3 doubles, 2RBI, 1BB, 1SF and 3SB in his last 11 games (since 7/22).
SCHMIDT’S CREEK: RHP Clarke Schmidt allowed just 2ER in 5.0IP on Thursday…has gone 6-2 with a 3.23 ERA (69.2IP, 25ER) over his last 14 appearances (13 starts) since 5/19.
Has allowed 3R-or-fewer in each of his last 13 starts (since 5/19), 15 of his last 16 starts (since 5/3) and 16 of his last 18 starts (since 4/23).
His 18 starts with 3R-or-fewer allowed are tied for the third-most such starts in the AL and tied for the fourth-most such starts in the Majors this season.
His current 13-start streak of 3R-or-fewer allowed is tied with San Diego’s Blake Snell (13GS from 5/25-present) for the second-longest such streak in the Majors this season, trailing only Minnesota’s Sonny Gray’s 17-start streak from 4/1-7/2.
Is undefeated in his last nine starts (since 6/11), going 5-0 with a 3.61 ERA (47.1IP, 19ER) in that span.
ALL RISE: OF Aaron Judge has reached base safely in 48 of his 55 games this season, batting .290/.412/.653 (56- for-193) with 45R, 10 doubles, 20HR, 42RBI, 42BB, 3SB and a 1.065 OPS.
Has reached base safely in 25 of his last 26 games (since 5/12)…is batting .322/.474/.833 (29-for-90) with 24R, 4 doubles, 14HR, 26RBI, 26BB and 1SB in that span.
Since returning from the injured list on 7/28, has reached base in 12-of-25 plate appearances (5H, 7BB, .480 OBP).
Is batting .348/.455/.826 (16-for-46) with 18R, 1 double, 7HR, 9RBI and 9BB in the first inning this year…his .455 OBP in the first inning is the best in the AL and the third-highest in the Majors (min. 50PA)…his .348 BA in the first inning is the third-highest in the AL and seventh-highest in the Majors (min. 50PA).
Has 12BB in his last 11 games (since 5/29), 24BB in his last 23 games (since 5/15) and 29BB in his last 31 games (since 4/26).
His 10 game-winning RBI are tied for the fifth-most in the AL (tied for eighth in the Majors) and his 20HR are tied for the eighth-most in the AL.
RISPY BUSINESS: Yankees batters are hitting .471/.500/.882 (8-for-17) with 1 double, 2HR, 9RBI and 1BB with RISP over their last three games.
HAWAIIAN PUNCH: INF/OF Isiah Kiner-Falefa is batting .297 (30-for-101) with 18R, 4 doubles, 2HR, 14RBI, 15BB, 1HP, 3SF and 4SB in his last 39 games (since 6/4).
Has reached base in 11-of-26 plate appearances over his last seven games (6H, 4BB, 1HP, .423 OBP) over that span (since 7/25).
In his last 27 games (since 6/22), has hit .301/.407/.425 (22-for-73) with 13R, 3 doubles, 2HR, 13RBI, 14BB, 1HP, 3SF and 1SB in that span.
TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER: RHP LUIS SEVERINO (2-5, 7.49 ERA)
RHP Luis Severino will make his 13th start of the season tonight vs. Houston…the 29-year-old will make the start on regular four days’ rest…last started on Sunday at Baltimore and took the loss after allowing a career-high 9ER over 3.1IP (10H, 2BB, 5K, 1HR, 1WP)…missed the first 48 games of the season with a right lat strain… the two-time AL All-Star (2017, ’18) ranked third in the Majors in 2018 with 19 wins (19-8), tied for second-most by a Yankee in the last 14 seasons (since 2009) behind CC Sabathia (21-7 in 2010)…has two of the top-eight single-season strikeout totals in Yankees history (230K in 2017, 220K in 2018)…is one of four pitchers in Yankees history with multiple 200-strikeout seasons (also Gerrit Cole from 2021-22, David Cone from 1997-98 and Ron Guidry from 1978-79)…finished third in 2017 AL Cy Young Award voting…was originally signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent on 12/26/11…signed to a four-year contract extending through the 2022 season with a club option for the 2023 season on 2/15/19…the Yankees exercised his club option for the 2023 season on 11/7/22.
LAST START: Took the loss in the Yankees’ 9-3 defeat at Baltimore on Sunday after allowing a career-high 9ER over 3.1IP (10H, 2BB, 5K, 1HR, 1WP).
2023: Will make his 13th start of the season tonight…is 2-5 with a 7.49 ERA (57.2IP, 48ER) in 12 starts this year…has allowed 1ER-or-fewer in four starts this season and 3ER-or-fewer in six starts…eight of his 12 starts this season have come after a Yankees’ loss, including six straight starts from 5/27-6/24.
Earned his second win of the season on 7/23 vs. Kansas City (5.2IP, 8H, 3ER, 0BB, 5K, 2HR)…allowed all three runs via the HR (solo HR to Salvador Perez in the fourth inning and a two-run HR to Michael Massey in the sixth inning)…marked his sixth start with 3ER-or-fewer this season.
Did not record a decision despite allowing just 1ER over 6.0IP on 7/17 at Los Angeles-AL (6H, 3BB/1IBB, 3K, 1HR)…marked his fourth start this season with 1ER-or-fewer allowed…surrendered his only ER on a solo HR by Matt Thaiss in the sixth inning.
Took his fourth loss of the season on 7/6 vs. Baltimore after allowing 7ER over 2.2IP (10H, 1BB, 3K, 1HR)…marked his shortest non-injury start since 9/5/18 at Oakland (also 2.2IP).
Recorded his first win of the season in the Yankees’ 1-0 victory on 6/24 vs. Texas, tossing 6.0 scoreless innings (5H, 2BB, 4K)…marked his first scoreless start of the season and first such start since 10/3/22 at Texas (7.0IP)…snapped a four-start streak with 4R-or-more allowed (6/2-18).
Took his second loss of the season in Game 2 of a doubleheader on 6/18 at Boston, allowing 4R/3ER over 5.0IP (7H, 3BB, 6K)…his 6K matched a season high (also 6K on 6/8-G1 vs. Chicago-AL).
Allowed at least 3HR in back-to-back starts on 6/2 at LAD and 6/8-G1 vs. CWS…marked just the third time in his career he allowed multiple HR in consecutive starts
(also three starts from 7/7-23/18 and two starts from 5/3-8/16).
Did not record a decision on 5/27 vs. San Diego despite allowing just 2R/1ER over 6.2IP (1H, 3BB, 5K, 1HR)…surrendered his only hit on a solo HR by Fernando Tatis Jr. in the fourth inning.
Did not record a decision in his first start of the season on 5/21 at Cincinnati (4.2IP, 4H, 1ER, 1BB, 5K, 0HR)…was returned from rehab and reinstated from the 15-day injured list on 5/21 prior to his start.
Allowed 1ER-or-fewer in three straight starts from 10/3/22-5/27/23, tied for the second-longest such streak of his career (trails only a five-start streak from 7/15-8/6/17…allowed 2ER-or-fewer in five straight starts from 9/21/22-5/27/23, tied for the second-longest such streak of his career (trails only a nine-start streak from 9/12/18-4/20/22).
Missed the first 48 games of the season with a right lat strain…combined to make two rehab starts with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (5/10) and Double-A Somerset (5/16), posting a 4.05 ERA (6.2IP, 8H, 3ER, 2BB, 6K, 1HR).
VS. HOUSTON: Is 2-3 with a 3.82 ERA (37.2IP, 16ER) and 44K in seven career appearances (six starts) vs. Houston…last faced the Astros (in the regular season) on 6/30/22 in Houston and took the loss despite allowing just 2ER over 6.0IP (3H, 2BB, 4K).
Each of his last four starts vs. the Astros have been quality starts (6.0IP, 2ER on 6/30/22 at Minute Maid Park; 6.0IP, 3ER on 6/24/22 at Yankee Stadium; 7.0IP, 2ER on 5/30/18 at Yankee Stadium; 9.0IP, 0ER on 5/2/18 at Minute Maid Park).
Tossed his first career complete game on 5/2/18 at Houston (9.0IP, 5H, 0R, 1BB, 10K).
In three career starts vs. the Astros at Yankee Stadium, is 1-1 with a 4.70 ERA (15.1IP, 8ER) and 20K.
In two starts vs. AL West clubs this season (7/17 at Los Angeles-AL and 6/24 vs. Texas), is 1-0 with a 0.75 ERA (12.0IP, 1ER)…is 7-8 with a 3.75 ERA (129.2IP, 54ER) and 125K in 23 career starts vs. the AL West.
WELCOME TO MY HOUSE: Will make his sixth home start of the season tonight…is 2-1 with a 5.19 ERA (26.0IP, 15ER) and 23K in five home starts this season…is 29-15 with a 3.59 ERA (343.1IP, 137ER) and 388K in 64 games (59 starts) in his career at Yankee Stadium…the Yankees are 37-11 in his home starts since the beginning of 2017…since 2018, has gone 17-4 with a 3.07 ERA (178.2IP, 61ER) and 209K in 32 home starts, with the Yankees going 26-6 in those games. Including the postseason, is 21-6 with a 3.31 ERA (220.1IP, 81ER) and 261K in his last 41 starts at home (36 regular season and five postseason), dating back to 9/3/17…has allowed more than 2R just 15 times in that stretch…the Yankees are 33-8 in those starts.
START ME UP: The Yankees are 64-33 in his 97 starts since 2017…has allowed 1ER-or-fewer in 44-of-97 starts (45.3%) over that span.
From 7/8/17-7/12/18, the Yankees went 31-4 in his 35 starts, the first time the Yankees won at least 31 games in a pitcher’s 35-start span since going 31-4 over 35 Ron Guidry starts from 8/10/77-8/15/78.
