The Yankees hired Matt Blake as their new pitching coach on November 7, 2019. The Holy Cross graduate previously served as the pitching coordinator for the Cleveland Indians. When the 34-year-old came on board, it signaled a shift in the team’s on-field philosophy. While the Yankees always had been a data-forward organization, they took a leap to the bleeding edge, to analytic innovators instead of followers.
Latching on to the Yankees, who are in the middle of a championship window, your first experience as a pitching coach has to be difficult. But to do so right as the coronavirus pandemic hits, and teams had to shut down spring training for three months?