Yankees new-look bullpen emerging as strength ahead of playoffs

Maybe Texas represented a turning point.On Sept.3, Clay Holmes imploded in surrendering a game-ending grand slam to the Rangers’ Wyatt Langford.

Much of the Yankees staff crumbled the next day, when Scott Effross, Ron Marinaccio and Phil Bickford worked in mop-up duty.Since that series, Holmes has not seen the ninth inning and been solid elsewhere.Beginning with a shutout of the Cubs on Sept.

6 — best remembered for Luke Weaver’s first career save — the Yankees have mixed, matched and managed just fine.In the 140 games from the start of the season through that Rangers series defeat, the Yankees bullpen was the eighth least valuable in baseball, according to FanGraphs, and pitched to a middling 3.89 ERA.In the 10 games since, Yankees relievers have been the second most valuable, per FanGraphs, while pitching to a majors-best 1.16 ERA.“It’s a good time for everyone to be coming together right now,” said Ian Hamilton, who has returned healthy at the right time.It is possible that the reimagined group has found its personnel — if not the exact slots for those personnel — ahead of the most important time of the baseball year.“I do feel like a lot of guys are throwing the ball really well and capable of getting the last outs,” manager Aaron Boone said Sunday after 3 ²/₃ scoreless innings from his bullpen sealed a series victory over the Red Sox.“I feel like because the group … complements each other very well — meaning some are just more equipped to get righties or lefties, or a little bit of both, some are ground ball, some fly ball — I feel like that mixture, that complement, hopefully serves them all well.”It has served the Yankees well and perhaps answered a season-long question of whether the group would ever emerge to be the strength it had been in previous seasons.

Twenty-six different Yankees have entered in relief this season, substantial time given to the likes of Caleb Ferguson, Victor Gonzalez, Dennis Santana and Michael T...