Yankees' Triple-A pitching option makes argument for call-up with historic streak

Perhaps New York Yankees fans were too quick to dismiss right-hander Allan Winans as a potential difference-maker when he was promoted in Marcus Stroman's place.

Winans didn't appear during his phantom time in pinstripes, and was sent down when right-hander Clarke Schmidt was ready to rejoin the rotation. It's tough to expect much from a No. 9 starter when the rotation is down to its pre-planned nubs, but Winans, who's shone at Triple-A and struggled in the majors throughout his career, is on a mission to prove himself to be a valuable swing.

The 29-year-old Campbell Camel has yet to allow an earned run at the minor-league level this season, and put an exclamation point on his early work with an historic performance on Wednesday night.

Winans struck out the first six Charlotte Knights (White Sox) he faced before surrendering a walk, then went on to whiff four more in a row. 10 out of 11 hasn't been done in MLB since 1961, a pretty solid and memorable year for the Yankees, all things considered. Emulating it seems like a good idea.

Yankees Triple-A hurler Allan Winans did something that no one in MLB has since 1961

The best part? Winans is working with a vintage arsenal that probably would've been equally effective in 1961.

He changes speeds from "slow" to "somehow even slower," matching loping breaking balls with a fastball that lives in the 90 MPH neighborhood. The Yankees didn't have a very long time with Cody Poteet last summer, but they certainly had a good time with him when he was working his very strange brand of magic. Perhaps Winans could represent a redux when the Yankees need some reinforcements this year?

In 9 1/3 innings across three appearances (two starts), Winans has struck out a remarkable 20 batters, fueled in large part by his yeoman's work on Wednesday night. It's no fluke, though (at the minor-league level, at least) — in his career, the righty has a 2.89 ERA in 131 games/423 2/3 innings below the surface of the bigs.

Maybe this is the season where it finally clicks after a call-up. After all, he's already in the history books. What's so nerve-wracking about taking the next step now?