Luke Weaver’s Postseason Struggles Raise Questions About His Role in Yankees Bullpen
The coaching staff and fans seem to have lost faith in former Yankees closer Luke Weaver after two poor postseason games. After two bad games that left the bullpen searching for answers, YES Network Yankees analyst Jack Curry stated Weaver is “probably” outside the team’s “circle of trust”.
Weaver has faced six hitters in two postseason games without a single out. Gives up four singles and two walks. The back-to-back failures have shocked and worried a pitcher who had never failed to get an out in a major league game. Curry told the YES post-game show that Weaver’s issues are a major issue for a bullpen that is already under scrutiny after the Yankees dropped Game 1 of the Division Series to the Toronto Blue Jays 10–1. He advised the Yankees to reconsider their bullpen order and determine who they can trust to get the most crucial outs.
He informed reporters after the game that trying to remedy pitch-tipping exacerbated his recent troubles. He noted that the technical changes have left him out of rhythm and hesitant on the mound. Weaver claimed he hasn’t felt like himself and that the constant adjustments have made it hard for him to concentrate, making it hard for him to approach batters.
Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake said the organization is trying to balance correcting the tipping problem and letting Weaver have mental freedom to throw pitches. Blake remarked that focusing on mechanics or disguising the delivery can distract a pitcher from throwing well. Weaver has struggled with this in recent games.
Weaver was a reliable Yankees bullpen reliever last season. He was their closer during the extended playoff run to the World Series. His stress management and clutch play helped the squad win. This year, confidence and control appear lacking. Yankees announcer Michael Kay said Weaver doesn’t appear like last season’s excellent reliever. Kay said Weaver was crucial to last year’s success, but his recent issues may be related to confidence as well as technique.
Their former closer’s decline makes it difficult for the Yankees to win the World Series again. Since Weaver’s reliability is questionable, the squad must locate a pressure-pitcher. Weaver’s postseason struggles have raised questions about his bullpen role as the Yankees try to win a title. It’s unclear if he can recover.
Sources
YES Network post-game analysis
Player and coach post-game interviews
Yankees postseason performance reports
