Yarbrough Is A Breath Of Fresh Air

Yesterday’s headliner wasn’t Aaron Judge launching 4 dingers or anything. Nope, the star of the Yankees’ 5–1 win over the Angels was none other than Ryan Yarbrough, the stealth bomber of the Bronx.

While Yankee fans usually flock to see fireballers pumping 99 on the radar gun, Yarbrough rolled in like a wily illusionist with a bag of tricks—none of which involved pure velocity. The southpaw spun six dazzling innings, allowing just two hits, one walk, and collecting seven strikeouts like they were coupons at the grocery store. His only real blemish? The sixth pitch he threw, which Zach Neto deposited into the center-field seats. After that? Silence from the Angels’ bats—he ghosted them like a bad date.

And make no mistake: this isn’t just a one-night wonder. Since stepping into Carlos Carrasco’s vacated rotation spot, Yarbrough is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in four starts. Not bad for a guy whose spring with the Blue Jays was so rocky, it ended with him hitching a ride to the Bronx bullpen before being told, “Hey kid, you’re starting again.”

As a whole, the Yankees’ rotation has been dealing straight fire (even if Yarbrough’s version is more campfire than wildfire). In May, Yankees starters have posted a league-best 2.37 ERA—a dramatic drop from April’s more pedestrian 4.25. Credit Yarbrough for doing his part with kitchen-sink finesse: cutters nibbling at the edges, sweepers sweeping up the mess, sinkers sinking spirits, and changeups that confuse hitters like they forgot their glasses.

“I’ve never been the guy to really blow up a radar gun,” Yarbrough said with a smile that said, And I don’t need to be. “It’s about learning how to get guys out in other ways. I guess it’s a different look—something they don’t see every day.”

That “different look” is baseball’s version of a retro flip phone in a world of iPhones—unexpected, functional, and surprisingly effective. Sure, his fastball barely dents the 90 mph wall, and his breaking stuff is more yoga than CrossFit, but it’s working. Call it junkball jazz—rhythmic, offbeat, and occasionally brilliant.

Yarbrough’s journey has had its bumps. He’s battled with inconsistent velocity, spring struggles, and a career arc that’s felt more like a sine wave than a steady climb. But now, nestled in the Yankees’ rotation, he’s found his groove.

In a league obsessed with power, Ryan Yarbrough is the changeup—literally and figuratively—that no one saw coming.