Yankees News: Jacob Lindgren Accomplishes Feat Last Done By Deion Sanders

The New York Yankees ended their six game losing streak against the Kansas City Royals with a 14-1 win on Memorial Day. During the game, the Yankees had one of their rookies debut their Major League career in the eighth inning; the rookie is known as relief pitcher Jacob Lindgren.

Lindgren was selected in the second round of the 2014 MLB draft, this was the first pick for the Yankees. To be specific, the draft occurred in June of 2014; thus Lindgren has debuted in the major leagues before one total year had passed. The last player to accomplish this immaculate feat with the Yankees was National Football League (NFL) star Deion Sanders.

History was created due to a relief pitcher taking the mound in New York. Sound familiar?

Sanders, currently in the Hall of Fame in the NFL, played notably for the Atlanta Falcons and the Dallas Cowboys. In 1988, the Yankees selected Sanders in the 30th round of the amateur draft. Soon enough, Sanders was then selected by the Falcons, fifth overall, and history would change its course in the NFL.

Sanders would pursue a part-time baseball career, playing in a total of 641 games. Alongside his nine-year professional baseball career, Sanders spent 14 years in the NFL.

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With the Yankees, Sanders progressed rapidly through the minor league system. Sanders would go on to make the 1990 Opening Day roster. Similarly, Lindgren progressed in immediate fashion as well, being called up Sunday.

Around this time last year, Lindgren was pitching for Mississippi State University in the NCAA regionals. Flash forward to his time in the Yankees’ minor league system, and Lindgren held a respectful 1.23 earned run average (ERA) in 22.0 innings pitched throughout the 2015 season. Given the state of the Yankees’ bullpen, the Yankees decided to reinforce the stability by calling up the left-handed reliever.

During Monday’s Memorial Day game, manager Joe Girardi made a casual call to the bullpen, ultimately bringing in the 22-year-old lefty. The situation was a low pressure moment, as the Yankees were cruising with a 14-1 lead over the Royals.

Lindgren would strike out two out of the seven batters he would face. As expected, Lindgren would go on to say that the surreal environment and atmosphere would get the best of him as he made his debut.

“Yeah, it’s crazy to think about,” Lindgren said, “Some of my buddies were texting me. … It’s crazy to think I’m in Yankee Stadium” (Hatch).

“It’s crazy to think I’m in Yankee Stadium.” –Jacob Lindgren

The road for Lindgren’s career has a multitude of trial and error, but being able to start his respected career being compared to Sanders must be exciting for the 22-year-old. Keep an eye out for the lefty contributing to the Yankees’ and creating a force in the bullpen.