Carlos Carrasco delivers best start with Yankees that rotation badly needed

Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.This was the type of start that Carlos Carrasco hadn’t produced, really, since 2016, back when he made 25-plus starts a season and his outings possessed a degree of length that could reach the eighth and ninth innings. It was the type of start the Yankees — in 2025, with the 38-year-old Carrasco starting for them after a minor league deal turned into a spot in the rotation — desperately needed, too, with Gerrit Cole (out for the year), Luis Gil (out until June), Clarke Schmidt (out until Wednesday) and Marcus Stroman (out for a still-to-be-determined amount of time) all sidelined.

And it was the type of appearance that boosted Carrasco’s numbers after his first three appearances resulted in a 7.71 ERA. His five innings of one-hit pitching Monday during the Yankees’ 4-1 win over the Royals provided a bright spot for their rotation, and Carrasco struck out four batters, walked two, impressed manager Aaron Boone with his changeup and navigated a pitch count that kept rising from the opening batters of the game.Carrasco’s role still remains murky once the Yankees return as close to full strength as they possibly can with their ace done for the season, but for one night, he provided a much-needed lift. “He was great at not giving in to an aggressive lineup,” catcher Austin Wells said. Carrasco’s lone blemish occurred in the third inning, when he ended a 10-pitch at-bat against Bobby Witt Jr.

with a slider near the bottom of the zone that the Royals star deposited on the other side of the Yankee Stadium fence anyway.By the end of that frame, with Kansas City hitters continuing to force deep counts and Carrasco walking two of the first three hitters he faced in the opening frame, his pitch count had already skyrocketed to 59. “I was thinking about that I don’t have anything on base,” Carrasco said abou...