Despite the Yankees’ loss to the Mariners on Monday, Aaron Judge had nothing but admiration over their pitching staff’s efforts.

Yankees’ Aaron Judge with his eyes popping towards Marcus Stroman, Carlos Rodon, and Luis Gil

Much of the hype surrounding the New York Yankees in 2024 has revolved around the production of their bats; in particular, the Juan Soto addition has worked out even better than even the Yankees anticipated. But the Yankees have not gotten off to a blazing start to the 2024 season if only their bats were producing. As Aaron Judge pointed out even after their 5-4 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Monday, the Yankees’ pitching corps continues to impress.

Winners of seven in a row before their loss to the Mariners, Judge expressed how impressed he was with the Yankees’ pitching performances as of late. On Monday, it was Marcus Stroman’s turn to pitch a gem. Stroman was a workhorse, as he pitched 7.1 innings after allowing just one earned run on three hits to go along with six strikeouts against just one walk. It’s a bit unfortunate for them that they still lost, but that should not put a damper on how incredible the Yankees’ starting rotation has been in recent games.

“That’s why we got those guys. It’s been incredible to watch them do their thing, each one of them is trying to outdo the other after each start,” Judge told reporters, via SNY Yankees on Twitter (X).

Indeed, it takes a team effort for a ballclub to get off to a blazing 33-16 start that has the Yankees owning the second best record in the MLB at the moment. The Yankees will be wishing that the bullpen manages to get back on track after Clay Holmes allowed four runs in a disastrous ninth inning on Monday, but their starting rotation is more than holding their end of the bargain.

Yankees’ pitching staff, on a roll

The Yankees’ rotation has been dynamite in recent weeks, and it’s not like only one or two starters of theirs have pitched gems during this hot streak. In addition to the solid 7.1-inning outing Marcus Stroman pitched against the Mariners, the likes of Luis Gil, Nestor Cortes, Clarke Schmidt, and Carlos Rodon have all been on point.

Cortes and Rodon, at the very least, have a track record of success that makes them liable to be held at a higher standard. Both are former All-Stars, giving them shiny pedigrees. But it’s not like getting the best out of them in 2024 was a guarantee. Both endured rough, injury-riddled 2023 seasons, after all. But in 2024, they have been healthy and able to front a Yankees rotation that seems to be getting deeper and deeper. Meanwhile, Stroman, the Yankees’ major pitching signing this past offseason, has mostly provided bang for the buck.

But then the Yankees have developed Gil and Schmidt to round out the rotation, and those two have surpassed expectations. Gil is coming off a 14-strikeout outing, although it’s worth mentioning that it did come against the hapless Chicago White Sox. And then Schmidt, after putting up a middling 32-start season in 2023, has been better in every way through the first nine games of the 2024 season.

To start the year, the Yankees’ pitching has been the best in the MLB, based on ERA. It might be frightening for other teams to think that this talented group of pitchers could become even better when their talisman returns.

New York is doing all this without Gerrit Cole

There was plenty of concern surrounding the Yankees’ pitching when Gerrit Cole appeared to sustain a serious injury prior to the start of the 2024 season. Cole sustained an elbow injury that has kept him out since April, and at this point, it remains unclear when the 33-year old ace will be back on the mound. (The good news is that he recently took a major step in his recovery process.)

Cole has been one of the best starters in the MLB for the past decade, and he has been one of its greatest workhorses in recent memory as well. He has pitched over 200 innings in a single season six times for his career, including in 2023, and he has been consistently top-tier.

But now, it’s a marvel that the Yankees will have to debate who Cole will bump off from the starting rotation when he returns from injury. That’s how good their rotation has been, especially as of late. Will they roll with a six-man rotation in a bid to keep their guys healthy? Cole is not getting younger, so he’ll be handled with care when he recovers, so perhaps this is the strategy that they roll with, especially when all five guys in their rotation at the moment are earning their keep.

For a team that had plenty of pitching question marks to begin the season, they have smashed everyone’s expectations of them nearly through the first 50 games of the season. And now, the Yankees are in the driver’s seat in the AL East standings, with room to grow to spare.