Ex-Yankees reliever cements comeback season with gutty Fenway appearance

We were stunned when former New York Yankees reliever Jonathan Loaisiga turned in a solid season with the Arizona Diamondbacks by mid-July. Loaisiga had previously shown just enough flashes to have us (well, mainly Brian Cashman) believing that he could recapture his magical 2021 form.

Unfortunately, over the years, if it wasn't a meltdown waiting around the corner to derail any solid play, it was the injury bug biting the Nicaraguan right-hander again and again and again... So, you can understand our skepticism that he'd continue to turn in solid performances even after a few months of hot baseball.

Well, here we are a little over a month after our last check-in, and Loaisiga is still throwing the ball well. The 31-year-old has tossed 51 1/3 innings over 53 games, posting a 2.63 ERA and 3.15 FIP along the way. He's boasting a minuscule 5.4% walk rate, has his sinker working, is generating a 53.3% ground ball rate, and is keeping the ball in the yard with a 0.53 HR/9, down from an eye-popping 2.12 mark last season.

His velocity is up nearly a mile per hour, too, jumping from 96.7 miles per hour in 2025 to 97.5 miles per hour this year. Perhaps the elbow flexor strain he suffered last August affected him more than we thought.

While it's bittersweet to see Loaisiga succeeding elsewhere after years and years of hope, his latest exclamation-point performance did benefit the Yankees, as he and the D'backs took down the Boston Red Sox.

Jonathan Loaisiga gives the Yankees a sweet parting gift with a clutch performance to down the Red Sox

Loaisiga pitched twice during Arizona's recent trip to Boston. On August 18, he pitched a scoreless inning in what would end up as a 9-4 defeat for the Diamondbacks. However, he was clutch in the Snakes' victory in the series finale on August 19.

After Arizona failed to score in the top of the ninth against another old "friend," Aroldis Chapman, the Diamondbacks turned to Loaisiga to pitch the bottom of the ninth with the score tied 5-5. That, of course, is a thought that sends shivers down the spines of every Yankees fan.

Loaisiga made quick work of Boston in the ninth, getting Adley Rutschman to fly out and then quickly erasing a Nick Sogard infield single with a double play. Arizona would then score two off Jovani Moran in the top of the 10th. Having burnt through most of their high-leverage arms, they then sent Loaisiga back out there to close things out in the bottom of the 10th.

While he did allow the ghost runner to score, Loaisiga got three straight outs, two on the ground and a popup to end things, and secure the 7-6 victory. In the process, he surpassed 300 career innings pitched.

With the Yankees sweeping the Orioles the next evening, the Red Sox loss opened some much-needed breathing room and helped prevent New York's arch nemesis from heating back up again.

It also begs the question as to whether or not the Yankees would've been wise to bring back Loaisiga for yet another go-around over the winter. While we all have PTSD from his recent work in pinstripes, it was just a minor league contract he signed in Arizona. The Yankees could certainly use another reliable arm in the middle innings, and against all odds, it seems like that's what Loaisiga has become.

With that said, we'll take him slamming the door on the Red Sox as a nice consolation prize.

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