Frankie Montas was a comfort prize on the commerce deadline, and by definition comfort prizes are supposed to console their recipients. Drawback was, when Yankees followers left the Stadium for his or her vehicles and trains on Thursday night time, they skilled a thousand completely different emotions.
And consoled wasn’t one in every of them.
They felt nervousness, anger, frustration, and a little bit worry. They felt involved that their pitching employees may very well be a difficulty in October, and that Montas, to this point, has seemed extra like an issue than an answer.
Additionally they felt sure that Luis Castillo wouldn’t be inflicting them any such stress.
Sure, it’s very early for the brand new man on the town, who was making his third begin as a Yankee and his first in The Bronx. However his timing right here was horrible. One night time after probably the most dramatic victory of the season, made possible by Josh Donaldson’s grand slam in the 10th, Montas killed off no matter feel-good momentum would possibly’ve carried over. He spiked the notion that the reeling Yanks had lastly righted themselves and had been fixing to go on one other tear.
Montas allowed Toronto six runs and eight hits over six innings, together with Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s three-run shot, failing to offer his group an inexpensive likelihood to win in what would be a 9-2 defeat. In 14 innings as a Yankee, Montas has surrendered 14 runs and 18 hits.
That’s not good. That’s not acceptable.
That’s not something near what the Yanks traded for.
His supervisor, Aaron Boone, doesn’t consider Montas has been impacted by what he known as “jitters,” and doesn’t suppose there are any lingering results from the pitcher’s shoulder irritation. No matter goes fallacious, Boone mentioned, “We’ve received to start out getting outcomes, clearly.”
On his finish, Montas admitted that this wasn’t simply one other night time sport towards the Blue Jays.
“Plenty of feelings coming to Yankee Stadium,” he mentioned in a clubhouse interview. “In fact, I need to go on the market and do my finest. This isn’t my finest.”
He allowed himself a light-weight giggle, if solely to interrupt the strain. Hours earlier, Boone had spent a variety of time speaking in regards to the harsh realities of public life in New York, and the way the burden of expectation weighs extra closely on some than others.
But Boone was additionally fast to level out how baseball “has a approach of adjusting on a dime.” He introduced up Mets nearer Edwin Diaz. “He couldn’t pitch right here [in 2019],” Boone mentioned. “I feel he can pitch right here now.”
In different phrases, Montas nonetheless has the remainder of the season to revise his manuscript and write a cheerful ending. Possibly he’ll string collectively 4 or 5 encouraging begins in a row. Possibly he will likely be lights out within the postseason.
And perhaps he gained’t.
However that is what we all know thus far: The Yankees needed Castillo on the deadline, and weren’t prepared to half with their high prospect, shortstop Anthony Volpe, to get him. So Cincinnati despatched Castillo to Seattle for a greater package deal of products, and the Yankees began speaking themselves into believing there wasn’t a giant distinction between Castillo and Oakland’s Montas, who didn’t price almost as a lot.
That distinction now seems to be greater than the Yankees’ lead within the AL East, a indisputable fact that brings us to the excellent news: Montas isn’t going to harm his new group within the standings. The Yankees will win their division operating away.
The dangerous information: He would possibly damage them of their pursuit of the Astros for home-field benefit within the ALCS, whereas failing to match the performances of the person he changed, Jordan Montgomery, now busy lighting it up for the Cardinals.
Montgomery and Castillo are doing precisely what their new employers hoped for, whereas Montas continues to be looking for his legs. It was a disgrace this didn’t work out for him Thursday night time, in entrance of an lively crowd drawing from the magic of the night time earlier than.
Montas posed for pregame photos along with his spouse and youngsters, all of them dressed within the pitcher’s No. 47 jersey. The household seemed nice in pinstripes. The pitcher kissed them one after the other, then went to work. He had no thought he was strolling straight right into a dreadful night time on the workplace.
Not less than he has a supervisor who can inform him a factor or two about robust days in The Bronx. On Wednesday night time, when it appeared all was misplaced within the tenth, that supervisor heard the followers who had been chanting, “Fireplace Boone.” His response?
“I stood up a little bit prouder on the highest step and mentioned, ‘OK, it goes with the territory generally right here,’ ” he mentioned. Boone spoke of what comes “with placing this uniform on,” and reminded that athletes (and coaches) can’t permit themselves to be diminished by the noise.
Boone has the safety of a contemporary three-year cope with a fourth-year membership possibility, to not point out the credibility that comes with hitting a walk-off Recreation 7 homer towards the Purple Sox, and but the followers by no means hesitate to go after him. He’s a giant boy. He is aware of how one can deal with it.
His beginning pitcher Thursday night time? He didn’t hear a lot in the way in which of anger from the stands when his dwelling debut turned south. But when this continues, effectively, the followers will reply in type. They at all times do.
In the meantime, Frankie Montas is giving the Yankees precisely what most comfort prizes give their recipients — no comfort.
