BOSTON — Aaron Boone had two obvious options to end Saturday night’s game against the hated Red Sox. He could stay with Clay Holmes, the all-star who was baseball’s most dominant closer through July. Or he could return to Aroldis Chapman, a near-enduring All-Star who remains the game’s highest-paid assist and still throws 100 mph.
So what does Boone do? He went to one Scott Efross, a late-rising second-year second-year sub-army who was little known in this country. He doesn’t have Chapman’s pedigree, but give him that: He was named to the Division 1 Collegiate All-America team by the Jewish Sports Review.
Who knows which way Boone will go from now on? The Yankees appear to be headed for a tighter roulette. Or closer by committee. Which wording you prefer.
“Mix and match” is how Boone formulated his current closer strategy.
However, with the Yankees needing a win as badly as they do in a season that began as a dream, Effross was the chosen one.
After some early traffic, he pulled the Red Sox’s top two players — Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts — back with a dribbler and an infield pop-up to pin his first save in pinstripes and second of his career in the Yankees’ 3-2 win .
The Yankees acquired Scott Effross at Deadline. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Scott Effross Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Better still, after that, he seemed unfazed by his sudden celebrity.
“He’s unshakable. Great makeup,” says a National League scout.
Boone noted that Effross had closed to the Cubs. But in reality it was just a game. Against the pirates in Wrigley. Saturday’s parade took place in the most hostile environment and the hottest. And it was a one run game.
“Obviously he’s not scared … he went right through the heart of the lineup,” pitching coach Matt Blake said.
“I thought I was pretty calm for the super high leverage situation,” Effross said.
When he thinks about it, it’s quite the climb for the young man from suburban Cleveland, whose Wikipedia page notes that he was a member of the Shir Shalom congregation growing up (Bar Mitzvah, 2006) and a slow but steady rise in the major leagues, culminating in his call-up to the fellow-led Cubs in 2021 at the age of 27. It’s certainly unlike Chapman, the Cuban rocket and bonus baby who helped the Cubs break their World Series curse in 2016.
Chapman got through innings seven and eight with a peppy Saturday as he’s back on form just as Holmes looks more like the guy who struggled in Pittsburgh rather than the first-half dynamo. But for now, what they have in common is that they both lost their full-time jobs at some point during the season.
Boone doesn’t tell him where he’s going now — “they’re all in the game,” to conclude, he said — and that could easily be because he doesn’t know day-to-day. He has a lot of interesting possibilities. Plus, he may have another option next month when Zack Britton is expected back. Britton once had the kind of year Edwin Diaz has now with the Mets, only without trumpets or fanfare (it was in Baltimore, coincidentally for Buck Showalter as well).
The Yankees’ bullpen, even without Michael King, Chad Green and, right now, Miguel Castro, has about as many big arms as anyone, but right now there’s no apparent plan as to who should serve and when. Lou Trivino, another Deadline pickup, also has a lot of finishing experience. Wandy Peralta has had his moments, and Jonathan Loasiga and Albert Abreu have potential (though no moments lately).
Could this be the time of Effross? How did he get here?
Aroldis Chapman Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Clay Holmes Robert Sabo for the NY POST
The Yankees were pursuing Angels closer Raisel Iglesias and, to some extent, Cubs closer David Robertson (alert to old friends) among others as of Deadline. Iglesias eventually went to the Braves, one of the teams willing to pay full freight (he has $50 million to last through 2025) for a star whose pace had slacked off a bit, and Robertson to the Phillies. Robertson was popular when he starred in Pinstripes, but Yankees folks won’t say if an awkward ending affected the seriousness of their pursuit.
The Yankees liked Effross because he throws strikes and the sidearm delivery offers a different look. Blake noted “a broader arsenal” than is usual for sidearms. The composure is a potential bonus.
The Effross deal could turn out to be a gem of the deadline. The Yankees gave up their No. 7 right-hander Hayden Wesneski in what now looks like a stroke of genius. Not only has Effross shown he can close, but the scout says he can pitch all day since transitioning from a more typical three-quarters delivery three years ago.
“Great man. Rubber arm – he can throw from that arm slot every day,” the scout summarized his personal attributes.
The resilient arm is now the bigger issue when the pen needs it. Of course, it’s a nice bonus that he’s also human.