“Marcus Stroman should quit” - Fans blast Yankees pitcher following his first inning exit in disastrous start vs. Giants

New York Yankees starting pitcher Marcus Stroman experienced one of the worst outings of his professional career in the opening game of a three-game series at Yankee Stadium. The 34-year-old right-hander was pulled by manager Aaron Boone before he could record three outs, as the Giants lineup piled on a huge lead in the first inning.

Yankees fans hammered Stroman on social media for his disastrous start on Friday. Many called for him to be removed from the team, while some even suggested he should retire.

Marcus Stroman was making his third start of the year when he faced the Giants on Friday evening, following a rain delay. He began the outing by giving up a leadoff double to Mike Yastrzemski and a walk to Willy Adames before Jung Hoo Lee launched a home run to give the visitors a 3-0 lead before an out was recorded.

The Yankees pitcher then walked Matt Chapman and Heliot Ramos before LaMonte Wade Jr. lined a hit to right field, bringing both runners home to extend the lead to five runs. Stroman struck out Wilmer Flores and Patrick Bailey but allowed a single to Tyler Fitzgerald on his 46th — and final — pitch of the game.

Fans blasted Stroman for the rough outing with critical posts on X (formerly Twitter):

"He should quit," one fan said.

"I want him off this team," another fan commented.

"That could have hardly been worse," another fan remarked.

Here are more reactions:

"He's so bad," wrote one fan.

"There’s a reason we tried to get rid of him in the offseason," said another fan.

"47 pitches to only get 2 outs and we’re paying this guy 18 million a year?" said a third.

Marcus Stroman has struggled to connect with the Yankees fan base since joining the team and was left off the postseason roster last year. He was considered expendable at the start of spring training but was added to the rotation following injuries to Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil.

MLB insider expects the Yankees to dispense Marcus Stroman from their roster

Marcus Stroman joined the Yankees on a two-year deal in 2024 (Image Source: IMAGN)

Even before his disastrous outing against the San Francisco Giants on Friday evening, MLB insider Joel Sherman of the New York Post predicted that the Yankees might cut Stroman from the roster. He believes Stroman will be the odd man out once Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil return, especially if the veteran can’t consistently provide innings.

"There’s a legitimate concern that without more length from the starters, especially guys like Stroman, the bullpen could get burned out by midseason,” Sherman said. "There’s probably an internal plan to limit his innings if the rotation stabilizes by midseason. Injuries may delay it, but once Schmidt and Gil are healthy and producing, Stroman becomes the expendable one.

"The odd man out’s going to be Stroman. He has the least stuff of that and so the Yankees could get away from the Stroman business and 140 innings and not deal with a grievance because if they were fully healthy they could make a case well we’re releasing this player or putting him in the bullpen because we have a better guy," Sherman added.

Marcus Stroman signed a two-year, $37 million deal with the Yankees in 2024. He has a player option for 2026 if he reaches 140 innings this season. Through his first three starts, Stroman has pitched just 9.1 innings, allowing 12 earned runs on 12 hits and seven walks. He holds an 11.57 ERA, 2.04 WHIP and .300 opponent batting average.