Betances Shows Why He Earned Roster Spot
Apr 1, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Dellin Betances (68) pitches during the sixth inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Despite C.C. Sabathia and the Yankees getting shelled on Tuesday night, there were some positives from opening day. The biggest one was Dellin Betances.
The former starter-turned reliever had an excellent spring that earned him a major league spot. On Tuesday he gave Joe Girardi some confidence that his 0.73 spring training ERA was no mirage. The Yankee skipper called on Betances to start the seventh inning. The tall right-hander struck out (new Yankee killer) Dexter Fowler and Robbie Grossman, then got the Astros’ best player, Jose Atulve, to ground out to finish the perfect inning.
The manager seemed pretty impressed.
“Really good,” Joe Girardi said Wednesday. “He threw strike after strike after strike and got ahead of hitters and finished them with his curveball. It was really good to see.”
Really good to see indeed, on a night where there weren’t too many positives.
Looking at the box score, it shows the perfect inning. But unless you watched the seventh inning on Tuesday you don’t get it. The young man was dominant. He looked poised. He looked focused. Most importantly, he looked confident. If Betances can continue to pitch like he did all spring, and like he did Tuesday, that will give Girardi a huge weapon out of the bullpen for a long time.