Corey Kluber’s first fight with the Yankees did not last as long as he expected, but the right-handed veteran had to be happy with what he showed in his debut with the stripes.
Kluber recovered from some traffic jams in the 5-3 victory over the Blue Jays on Saturday in the Bronx and appeared to be in control for most of the day. He only allowed one well-deserved run in five strokes over four starts. He hit five and walked three, leaving after rendering a home run to start the fifth entry,
For Kluber, that was another step backwards, after losing everyone except one game last year as a member of Rangers.
“It was fun to go back there and have a chance to compete with the boys,” said Kluber. “I think, in general, I used to shoot when I needed to.”
The two-time Cy Young winner made 74 shots on his first start since July last year. Kluber kept the Blue Jays goalless in the first two innings. He lost a little command in the third and walked two hitters and launched a wild shot. One of those hitters, Danny Jansen, scored in a shot error from receiver Gary Sanchez after Kluber eliminated Cavan Biggio. Kluber then eliminated Bo Bichette to close the entry.
Toronto loaded the bases in fourth place before Kluber had Jansen down to the shortstop and out of the inning.
“I thought Corey played the ball well,” said Yankees coach Aaron Boone. “He had a couple of very easy entries first and then he had to stretch a little bit, there was that little stretch there where he lost the zone a little. I found the movement in his pitches very good, the ability to get in and out.
“I thought, in general, it was another good step for him.”
Marcus Semien kicked Kluber to start the fifth inning and Boone pulled him. He left the game with the Yankees ahead 3-2, but did not make a decision after only throwing four entries.
For Kluber, just being on the mound was a victory after a broken muscle in his right shoulder limited to 18 shots last season with Rangers. He has played only 36 ² / ₃ innings in the past two years, making only seven games in 2019 with Cleveland, while dealing with forearm and oblique injuries.
“You spend a lot of time alone recovering, whether it’s away from the team when they’re on the road or getting there early and doing things before all the guys are there,” Kluber, who signed a $ 11 million deal for a year to deal with the Yankees, he said. “You kind of miss that team aspect.”