Yankees' JP Sears Earns Win in First MLB Start

Originally posted on FanNation Inside The Pinstripes
By Max Goodman | Last updated 5/25/22

JP Sears isn't going out of business any time soon.

In fact, he's just getting started.

The left-hander made the first start of his MLB career on Wednesday night against the Orioles and didn't disappoint, dealing for five scoreless innings in a 2-0 win.

Sears, the Yankees' No. 23 prospect per MLB Pipeline, gave up just three hits, walking two batters while striking out five. The Orioles whiffed 10 times against Sears, struggling to hit the ball hard throughout his outing.

Factoring in Sears' first taste of the big leagues last month—pitching twice before he was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after securing a spot on the Opening Day roster—the southpaw has now pitched seven shutout frames in a Yankees uniform with seven punch outs.

Resetting the rotation, after a rainout over the weekend, Sears was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre prior to Wednesday's game. Up to that point, the 26-year-old has been dominant in the Minors, pitching to the tune of an 0.83 ERA across six outings (21.2 innings) with the RailRiders.

On Wednesday night in the Bronx, Sears threw 84 pitches. In his six Triple-A appearances this season, the lefty never threw more than 65 pitches.

After Sears, Ron Marinaccio, Lucas Luetge, Miguel Castro and Clay Holmes combined to throw five scoreless innings out of the bullpen, allowing just two hits along the way. Shutting the door in the ninth, Holmes recorded his fifth save of the season.

With several key contributors on the injured list in New York's bullpen—and starter Luis Gil out for the rest of the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery—there's a chance Sears can continue to have an impact with the big-league staff going forward.

Then again, New York doesn't need help in their rotation. All five of their starters have been healthy and productive to this point.

If he is sent back down, it certainly doesn't hurt to have another arm one call away from the Bronx, especially after he's proven he's capable of getting outs at the big-league level.

This article first appeared on FanNation Inside The Pinstripes and was syndicated with permission.

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