TAMPA, Florida – Corey Kluber overcame the occasional madness, allowing for two runs and four hits on four starts at his second start in the spring, and the New York Yankees defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-5 on Saturday.
Kluber is a two-time Cy Young Award winner with his third team in three years. He gave only one official entry since being hit in the right forearm by a comebacker in May 2019 and broke a muscle in his right shoulder on his Texas debut last July.
Kluber hit two hitters, launched a wild shot and allowed a third-inning solo homer for Troy Stokes Jr. on Saturday. He hit two in a match in which the Pirates fell in order only once.
“Some pitches probably could have been located a little bit better, a little bit sharper,” said Kluber. “The home run, first pitch, left a little too much on the plate. Definitely some things to work on. Fine-tuning location, things like that.
“I was happy with the way I felt physically.”
The right-handed allowed a double in the lead and hit a hitter in the first entry, but got out of the jam with a double move. After a perfect second, Kluber gave up Stokes’ homer and avoided further damage by working in a two-on-one situation.
Kluber, who turns 35 in April, scored three out of two perfect starts in his other match on March 3 against Toronto. He had a live hitting training session five days later.
After losing to eventual American League champion Tampa Bay Rays in a series of five games last year, the Yankees allowed Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton and JA Happ to become free agents. They signed a one-year contract with Kluber for $ 11 million and acquired Jameson Taillon from Pittsburgh for four potential customers.
“It looks like it,” said Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu. “The ball is moving in all directions.”
The projected New York rotation also includes ace Gerrit Cole and Jordan Montgomery. Deivi Garcia and Domingo German are among the candidates for fifth position.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.