Will Warren matched his career high with 11 strikeouts during the New York Yankees’ 13-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals on April 19. The right-hander delivered six scoreless innings before allowing a two-run homer in the seventh, helping secure his second win of the season.
Warren said after the game that he considers himself both a strikeout and ground ball pitcher. “The sinker is going to generate a lot of ground balls. Teams that are aggressive, like them and the Angels, typically you’re going to get more strikeouts – especially mixing both fastballs in there and the offspeed,” Warren said. He added, “If I can go out there and throw three pitches and get three ground balls, I love that. You go deeper into the game.”
The Yankees provided strong run support with a five-run third inning, allowing Warren to pitch confidently throughout his outing. Reflecting on giving up a home run with a large lead, Warren said, “Even the Jensen homer, I could throw something in the dirt and see if he swings and misses, but at the end of the day, it was 10-0. There’s no reason to walk anybody with a 10-run lead.”
Manager Aaron Boone praised Warren’s performance: “He spun the ball well,” Boone said. “But to me, what stood out was the four-seam and the changeup really playing well for him. He was efficient. It was good to see him take that lead and go run with it.” Catcher J.C. Escarra also commented on Warren’s command: “When he’s in the zone, he’s lights out,” Escarra said.
Warren improved his record to 2-0 this season with an earned run average of 2.49 across five starts; he has allowed two earned runs or fewer in each outing so far this year.
Boone summarized Warren’s development by saying: “In all his outings this year, what’s stood out to me is how much swing and miss he’s getting with his fastball… He’s certainly proving that he’s capable of that.”
