Yankees to start Rookie on Mound in Must-Win

New York Yankees rookie Clarke Schmidt will make his first MLB start in a must-win scenario on Sunday.

There’s only one way to describe this move by New York Yankees management. Perplexing.

New York has announced that rookie Clarke Schmidt will make his first-ever MLB start on Sunday afternoon against the Miami Marlins. Normally, on the last day of the regular season and after clinching a postseason berth, this is a welcomed audition.

Not this year.

Currently, the Yankees are 33-26 and sit one game ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays for second place in the AL East. Both teams have clinched a spot in the postseason, however, the seeding is still up for grabs.

If Schmidt goes out and gives the Yankees a chance to win, this can be seen as a moot point. If New York finishes with a win, the fifth seed is officially theirs.

Schmidt is considered one of the top pitching prospects in the Yankees farm system. He made his MLB debut earlier this season and saw two games out of the bullpen before he was optioned to the Yankees alternative site. The right-hander owns a 7.71 ERA in 2.1 innings pitched this season.

Of course, this is a small sample size. Yet, Sunday’s start has huge playoff implications and is a big moment for any rookie pitcher.

With a Yankees loss and a Blue Jays win, the Yankees will slide into the eighth and final seed in the AL postseason picture. Ken Rosenthal, MLB on Fox reporter, explained the tie-breaker if the Yankees and Blue Jays both finish tied for second place.

The eighth seed is a dangerous place for New York. The Tampa Bay Rays have already locked up the top seed in the AL. Tampa Bay is 39-20 entering Sunday and has been the best team in the AL throughout this 60-game campaign.

Adding another blow, the Yankees have struggled mightily against Tampa Bay this season. New York is 2-8 against Tampa Bay this year. The pitching performances have been brutally average with the Yankees staff pitching to a 4.84 ERA against the Rays this season.

The Yankees offense in those contests? Dismal. New York is batting .218 against Rays pitching and scoring only 3.4 runs per game.

The Yankees and Blue Jays both play on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. New York will finish against the Marlins at Yankee Stadium while Toronto takes on the Baltimore Orioles at Sahlen Field in Buffalo.