Will Warren’s surprise relief appearance helps save Yankees

Will Warren didn’t get the save, but he helped save the Yankees nonetheless.

Seventeen innings into Wednesday’s split-admission doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Yankees were running out of options to close out the nightcap.

They used four relievers — including closer David Bednar for 22 pitches — in the first game, a 5-3 loss that went 10 innings.

And through eight innings in the second game, the Yankees had deployed two more relievers, including Paul Blackburn, who totaled 34 pitches over two scoreless frames.

So the Yankees turned to Warren — a staple of their starting rotation with only one regular-season relief appearance in his career — to begin the top of the ninth, clinging to a two-run lead.

“I want to win games any way possible,” Warren said afterward, “so as soon as they said it, I locked in and tried to get prepared for the moment.”

The right-handed Warren delivered, retiring two batters before left-hander Tim Hill got the final out and recorded the save.

The result was a 2-0 win for the Yankees, who split the doubleheader in the Bronx and clinched a series victory.

Warren threw 16 pitches and averaged 95.2 mph with his sinker — up considerably from his 93.3 mph average as a starter.

The 27-year-old, who typically deploys a five-pitch mix, used only his sinker, four-seamer and sweeper during Wednesday’s appearance.

“As a starter, I feel like I’m being crafty and pitching a little more than just the blacked-out adrenaline, throwing as hard as I can in the ninth,” Warren said. “It was definitely different, but I liked it.”

Warren (7-4, 4.00 ERA in 99 innings) could again prove to be a valuable bullpen piece at some point this year, either later in the season if/when the Yankees’ rotation is at full strength, or in the playoffs.

Gerrit Cole, Max Fried and Cam Schlittler are all healthy, while Carlos Rodón is working his way back from elbow inflammation.

That quartet would account for the Yankees’ shortened playoff rotation. It would also fill four of the five rotation spots down the stretch of the regular season, leaving only one slot open, assuming the Yankees don’t add another premium starter before the Aug. 3 trade deadline.

Warren — who pitched 162.1 innings over 33 starts last season — would likely have a leg up on left-hander Ryan Weathers (3-7, 4.40 ERA), who has already thrown a career-high 102.1 innings this year.

Eventually moving Weathers to the bullpen would help limit his workload, while his 95.8 mph fastball from the left side might play up even more in relief.

The Yankees’ bullpen boasts the second-best ERA (3.06) in baseball, but adding relievers who can improve the unit’s middle-of-the-pack strikeout rate (8.57 per nine innings) is expected to be a priority.

Weathers averages 10.11 strikeouts per nine innings, while Warren averages 8.82. On Wednesday, Warren elicited three swings-and-misses, all with his fastball, out of his 16 pitches.

Wednesday’s game marked Warren’s best relief appearance in an extremely small sample size. He allowed three runs in one inning out of the bullpen as a rookie in 2024, then surrendered six runs in 4.2 innings during a long relief outing in last year’s ALDS.

Warren was originally scheduled to start Tuesday, but that game was rained out.

Using Warren on a starter’s workload in one of Wednesday’s games would have prevented him from pitching on normal rest this weekend in Philadelphia, which would have left the Yankees’ rotation a man short.

That prompted the Yankees to activate Fried (elbow bone bruise) and deploy him in Wednesday’s second game on a pitch count, rather than have him make a final rehab appearance at Triple-A that night as initially planned.

The Yankees expected to start Warren on Friday in Philly — but only if they didn’t need him in relief on Wednesday night.

Warren had been scheduled to throw a bullpen session between Wednesday’s games, but he and the Yankees put that on hold once it became clear he might be needed for the second one.

“Just depending how the first game went, we let him know it was potentially in play,” manager Aaron Boone said. “And then as the game unfolded, it was very much in play.”

Warren surrendered a lead-off single to Nick Gonzales before striking out Tyler Callihan and getting Bryan Reynolds to ground out softly. Warren then walked red-hot rookie Esmerlyn Valdez, putting two runners on base with two outs.

That ended Warren’s night, as Boone turned to the left-handed Hill to face the lefty-swinging Ryan O’Hearn, who grounded out to end the game.

“It’s real exciting,” Warren said. “It gives me confidence that they have confidence in me. I’m pretty confident in going out there and getting three outs when needed, no matter what the situation is, so I was ready to roll.”

Warren is now scheduled to start on Sunday night at Citizens Bank Park, where he will be matched up against Phillies ace Cristopher Sánchez (12-4, 2.71 ERA), who started the All-Star Game in Philly for the National League.

Cam Schlittler (9-6, 2.20 ERA) is set to start Friday night’s series opener, while Weathers is lined up for Saturday night’s game.

A three-year MLB veteran, Warren was one out away from his first save at any level since 2020, when he was a junior at Southeastern Louisiana University.

“I wanted it bad,” Warren said. “But hey, we won.”