In just a few hours, the New York Yankees will hand Clarke Schmidt the ball for Game 3 of the American League Division Series. Given how the Kansas City Royals tied the series with one bad inning for Carlos Rodon in Game 2 on Monday, fans are a little nervous.
It’s easy to understand why. Clarke Schmidt only has three postseason appearances under his belt, all out of the bullpen as a rookie in 2022. Schmidt only pitched 2.1 innings in a Swiss Army Knife role, and his 11.57 ERA reflected such. Most notably, he gave up a three-run lead and blew the save in Game 3 of the ALDS against Cleveland.