Clarke Schmidt pitched in a major league game for the first time in 14 months and five days on Wednesday, taking the mound for the New York Yankees against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field in Minneapolis.
Schmidt, who underwent Tommy John surgery, entered in the seventh inning and struck out two batters while allowing two bloop hits. The game ultimately went to extra innings, with the Twins winning 5-4 in 13 innings.
Reliever Brent Headrick came in after Schmidt to strand the two runners he left on base, keeping the score at a 2-0 deficit at that point in the game.
Schmidt’s father was in attendance for the outing. The right-hander threw 24 pitches, 13 of them for strikes, and touched a top fastball velocity of 95.8 mph.
“Emotional,” Schmidt said of the outing. “Obviously a long journey and not an easy journey at all. There’s a lot of ups and downs throughout the process, but really good to be able to get back out there.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Schmidt appeared composed in his return.
“I thought he looked good, he looked pretty settled, actually,” Boone said. “Hopefully as he goes now he’ll get a little sharper.”
The Yankees are hoping Schmidt can work his way into a bullpen role that would let him pitch meaningful innings as the team heads toward the playoffs. He is expected to be limited to roughly one inning at a time and will not pitch on consecutive days.
Lagrange activated at Triple-A
Also Wednesday, top pitching prospect Carlos Lagrange was activated off the injured list at the Triple-A level, two and a half months after being shut down with a capsular sprain of his right shoulder. He struck out two batters in a scoreless inning, with his fastball topping out at 102.1 mph.
Lagrange had been transitioning from starter to reliever in hopes of helping the Yankees bullpen before the injury. He is now considered a long shot to reach the majors this season, but his return to game action at Triple-A was seen as a positive sign.
“Obviously getting shut down for a while, the shoulder always makes you nervous,” Boone said. “But he’s responded well to the downtime and now the buildup. So the fact that he’s activated, I’m glad that he’s able to get back this year and hopefully pitch a little bit and see what we have.”
Separately, outfielder Trent Grisham, who has been sidelined with a right hamstring strain, has “gotten up to a pretty decent speed” in his running progression and has begun mixing in baseball activities, according to Boone. There is still no timeline for his return.
