Corey Kluber had talked about the progress he’d been feeling on the mound after his last couple starts, but the results weren’t there to back up that optimism.
The results were there on Tuesday night.
For the first time as a Yankee, Kluber pitched through the fifth inning, then went on to complete six inning for the first time since April of 2019 in the Yankees’ 5-1 win over the Orioles. It was the length the Yanks had desperately needed from their starters outside of Gerrit Cole, and for Kluber, it was tangible proof that his growing comfort on the mound is meaningful.
“I’ve been saying I was close, so it feels good to go out there and string together a good outing,” Kluber said after allowing just one earned run. “I think it’s always a work in progress, even after a game like tonight when the results end up being good. I still think you can find areas where you want to improve. Getting the win was the most important thing.”
When it came to Kluber, Aaron Boone had consistently pointed to the veteran righty’s command as a final piece to getting him back to his pre-2019 self. The command looked to be there on Tuesday, as Kluber walked just two batters in 6.2 innings of work and tied his season-high with five strikeouts. He induced 17 swings and misses and flashed the type of precision that helped him win two Cy Young awards.
“I think I had a goal to be a little more aggressive in the strike zone tonight, and I think I did that,” Kluber said. “I’ve had moments where I’ve been able to do that up to tonight’s game, but maybe not done it on a consistent basis like I did tonight, so that was one of my goals coming into it.”
Boone also said that Kluber, along with rotation mate Jameson Taillon, were at a point where both were ready to take off the training wheels in terms of pitch count. After Kluber threw 91 pitches last week, he got up to 96 on Tuesday, pitching by far his lengthiest start of the season to give the bullpen some much-needed rest.
“I think that’s the goal every time out as a starter,” Kluber said of the rare length he was able to give the Yanks on Tuesday. “It’s not always going to happen that way, but you’re always trying to go as deep into ballgames as you can while trying to keep runs of the board. Our bullpen has been unbelievable so far this year, they’ve probably had to cover more innings than we’d like so far, so for them to continue to have that success throughout the course of the season, the more we can lessen their burden, the better.”
Now, Kluber has a strong case to point to if any wonder whether his comfort level can show in results on the mound. He has his best start as a Yankee, and continues to feel that growing sense of comfort on the mound as he tries to turn in his first full season since 2018.
“I kind of don’t feel like I can verbalize it,” Kluber said of what has started to feel better on the mound. “It’s more of a feeling of being out there, executing pitches, that kind of thing. It’s more a familiarity thing. I think I’ve had spurts where I’ve felt that, but no consistently. Just trying to get as close as I can to that point.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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