Nick Swisher drops 3-word verdict as Will Warren steps up for Yankees amid Gerrit Cole's injury setback

MLB: Colorado Rockies at New York Yankees - Source: Imagn — Nick Swisher drops 3-word verdict as Will Warren steps up for Yankees amid Gerrit Cole's injury setback - Source: Imagn

The New York Yankees suffered consecutive series defeats after a 5-4 loss to the San Francisco Giants in Sunday's series decider. However, the positive from the series was starter Will Warren's performance from the mound.

Will Warren, who made his third start of the season in Saturday's game, helped the Yankees to a series-leveling win after going five innings deep. He allowed two earned runs over two hits while striking out six batters.

Following his first career win for the Bronx Bombers, former Yankee Nick Swisher hailed the pitcher for stepping up in Gerrit Cole's absence. Swisher shared an Instagram story with Warren's picture, writing:

"First of many."

Not many expected Will Warren to pitch for the Yankees beyond Spring Training. However, injuries to Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt earned Warren a place on the Yankees roster.

"Big accomplishment. Waiting a while to get that one off the table," Warren said after the game. "So fun. I'm just glad the team won."

Will Warren has learned from his rough debut season last year

Will Warren's performance from the mound this season is a stark contrast to his six starts last year. In his six games for the Yankees last season, Warren struggled for control, conceding four or more runs four times and finishing with a disastrous 10.32 ERA.

The 25-year-old pitcher remarked he has learned from last year's tough outings, saying:

"Learned a lot, been through a lot of tough outings, but I think that's what makes this one even sweeter. You learn from it, move on and try to get better each day. There are a lot of guys in this clubhouse you lean on and learn from, as well as breaking down each outing every week.

"I don't know how much better I've gotten. I think it's still the same. I think it's the process of knowing what to do, when to do and executing it."

The Yankees will be relying on Warren this season after several injuries in the rotation and Marcus Stroman's underwhelming performances this season. So far, the rookie pitcher has looked like he is up for the challenge but only time will tell if he can sustain his performances throughout the season.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash