Luis Gil To Start ALDS Game 1 For the New York Yankees

Luis Gil will look to get the Yankees off on the right foot in the first game of the American League Division Series in Toronto against the Blue Jays. Gil is starting this game against Kevin Guasman, which does not give Yankee fans a warm and fuzzy feeling.

Gil pitched very well against these Blue Jays on September 6, but has always struggled with his command. Nobody knows where the ball will go. At times, Gil can be unhittable; at other times (sometimes in the next inning of the same game), he can be wild. With these control problems, how long will Yankees Manager Aaron Boone stay with Gil?

Pitching Preview: Luis Gil Yo Start Game 1 For Yankees

We know the first game of the American League Division Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Yankees will start at 4:08 p.m. on Saturday, October 4. Gausman is coming off another strong season, one of the better free agent signings of the 2020s.

In four seasons with Toronto, he has had a 3.48 earned run average, while topping 180 innings every year but his first, in 2022. He features one of the best four-seam fastballs in baseball, but his best pitch is a split-finger fastball. He has effectively become a two-pitch pitcher this year against left-handed hitters, but will mix in a slider against right-handed hitters.

Gausman dominated the Yankees on September 5. He will be looking to set aside shaky playoff memories, as he has a 6.32 earned run average across his 15.2 innings and four appearances this decade for the Jays and Giants. He is effectively the ace for the Blue Jays, and his track record against the Yankees suggests he will do well.

Gil threw six strong innings in the Bronx against Toronto on September 6, one of his better outings this year. The biggest problem with Gil is his wildness and the potential need to pull him early in the game. The Yankees have a so-so bullpen, though it has pitched better of late. Boone should have a relatively quick hook in Game 1 unless Gil pitches a strong game.

Hitting Preview

The Yankees are better than the Blue Jays, and the Blue Jays are better than the Red Sox. The Yankees will need to score more runs than they did against the Red Sox in the Wild Card series if they are to win these games. The Blue Jays have given the Yankees trouble this year. Their Big hitters, like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., have done well. However, lesser hitters in the Blue Jays lineup, like Daulton Varsho and Alejandro Kirk, have hit against the Yankees.

The Yankees need to score more runs in this series than they did against the Boston Red Sox. That means the Yankee power hitters, like Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, need to make contact. But it also means that hitters at the bottom of the lineup, like Anthony Volpe and Ryan McMahon, need to get on base or hit the ball a long way.

Conclusion

This series could be interesting. It is worth noting before the first game that Toronto was 8-5 against the Yankees this year. Gausman has historically killed the Yankees. Gil can be unhittable or very wild, and it is anyone’s guess which Gil shows up. That said, there are no pitchers on the Blue Jays staff that the Yankees cannot hit.