Yankees Luke Weaver spotless in four-out save as fill-in closer

Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.In an ideal situation, the Yankees won’t need Luke Weaver in these spots — in the top of the eighth, tasked with protecting a dwindling lead in a four-out save situation — often this year.

That’s why they acquired Devin Williams in the offseason, pairing an All-Star closer with someone who became the Yankees’ star closer out of nowhere late in 2024 to form a formidable 1-2, and really a daunting 8-9, punch at the back of their bullpen. With Williams on the paternity list and the Yankees on the verge of blowing a six-run lead to the Diamondbacks on Thursday, Weaver needed to step back into the role for a night.Someone needed to stop the disaster that Ryan Yarbrough and Mark Leiter Jr.

had started to create.And Weaver, in just his second outing of the season and first in a week, produced a spotless four-out save and secured the Yankees’ 9-7 win with what manager Aaron Boone described as probably his best pitching since the World Series. “You can’t replace a Devin Williams,” Aaron Judge said, “but you got a guy like Luke Weaver who, we all saw what he did there the last month, month-and-a-half with us — especially in the postseason.

… It’s gonna be a nasty combo down there at the back end.” Weaver entered after Leiter Jr.— who collapsed in the opener of the series and entered the game Tuesday in the seventh just batters after Yarbrough allowed a grand slam — surrendered a single to pinch-hitter Ketel Marte with two outs in the eighth, and he prevented anything else from transpiring by winning a seven-pitch battle with pinch-hitter Gabriel Moreno and inducing a groundout to second.

Then, Weaver produced three swing-and-miss pitches in the ninth, including a changeup to end the game. “I mean, it’s amazing to have two of the best relievers in your bullpen,” said Jazz Chisholm Jr., who ad...