Refined Taillon back on mound
Ex-Pirate steps into Yankees’ rotation
Since the New York Yankees traded for Jameson Taillon in January, the reviews on their new starting pitcher have largely been as follows: He looks healthy and improved after nearly two years away with injuries; his cheerful personality has been a welcome addition to the team; and he sure knows how to whip up some great coffee.
“Sometimes I don’t let him go out and do what he’s got to do until, if I need a cup of coffee, he brews it right in his locker,” manager Aaron Boone said with a grin.
The Yankees, of course, didn’t send four prospects to the Pirates in exchange for Taillon simply for a caffeine boost. Their starting rotation, after the departures of Masahiro Tanaka and James Paxton, was painfully thin. So the Yankees made the potentially high-reward gamble of acquiring two pitchers — Corey Kluber, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, and Taillon, once a second-overall draft pick — who had combined to throw one inning since May 1, 2019, due to injuries.
That date, until his start Wednesday, was the last time Taillon, 29, had thrown a pitch in a major league game, a span of 707 days. And even though the Yankees (3-3) lost to the Baltimore Orioles, 4-3, in 11 innings, it was a significant milestone for Taillon, whose body has endured so much throughout his career.
“This is going to sound cheesy, but I’ll never take a day in a big-league uniform for granted, that’s for sure,” said Taillon, who is scheduled to make his second start Tueday against the Toronto Blue Jays. “I was super happy to be out there.”
The reason for Taillon’s most recent absence was Tommy John surgery, the elbow ligament replacement procedure that has become so common in baseball. Although the recovery for the surgery is generally 12 to 15 months, there are plenty of success stories, including two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom; 2019
World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg; and Hall of Famer John Smoltz. But this was Taillon’s second Tommy John surgery — his first came in 2014 — and the odds are bleaker when a pitcher’s throwing elbow is repaired twice.
“I’m well aware of what the history for two-time Tommy John guys is,” said Taillon, who missed the 2015 season because of sports hernia surgery and who overcame testicular cancer in 2017. “There are some guys in the big leagues who’ve done it, but I want to be one of the positive statistics.”
After his second elbow surgery, Taillon feared his career could be over if he didn’t find a solution. So with the help of the Florida Baseball Ranch, a facility in Lakeland, Fla., that uses diagnostics to improve health and performance, Taillon overhauled the way he threw a baseball. He learned to use his legs more, and his right arm takes a shorter path.
He also adapted his pitching philosophy to a more contemporary one. To combat the prevalent uppercut swings of today, more pitchers throw four-seam fastballs up in the strike zone. Taillon’s close friend and former Pirates teammateGerrit Cole successfully pulled off this evolution when he was traded to the Houston Astros before the 2018 season.
With some help from the Astros’ analytics-driven front office, Cole ditched the twoseam, sinking fastball he used more often with the Pirates. He soon became one of baseball’s elite pitchers and signed a nine-year, $324 million deal with the Yankees before the 2020 season.
After exiting Wednesday’s game, Taillon walked through the dugout high-fiving his teammates, but he cracked a smile when he saw Cole.
“He helped me a lot with my mechanics; I was sending him videos, and he kept me really encouraged,” Taillon said. “Everyone understands what I’ve been through, but he really understands because he’s known me for a long time. So he just made a comment about ‘welcome back’ and ‘first of many.’ ”