How Luke Weaver's time with the Royals benefited the Yankees in a crucial eighth inning

KANSAS CITY – Luke Weaver spent two mediocre months as a member of the Kansas City Royals. That was two years ago, at the end of a last-place season for a team and a pitcher that were going nowhere. At the Royals, Weaver swept the floors, wiped down the bar and emptied the trash. So it's time for work, but not the way he's doing it now. In half of Weaver's appearances for Kansas City, he got the final outs for the losing team.

Weaver, however, witnessed the conclusion of Bobby Witt Jr.'s rookie season. And he knows what Witt was thinking when he greeted Weaver with a single in the eighth inning on Wednesday night, tying Game 3 of this American League Division Series.

“I expected him to run – he's the fastest guy in the big leagues, I think,” Weaver said later, referencing their shared history. “I know what he's trying to do. When he got the single, I thought, 'Okay, now it's time to work on both sides of the ball.'”

Officially, Weaver saved the New York Yankees' 3-2 win at Kauffman Stadium – which put them in position to win the series on Thursday – when Tommy Pham came out to end it. But the defining moments came after Witt's single, his first hit in 13 at-bats this series. Before his first pitch to the next batter, Vinnie Pasquantino, Weaver threw a pickoff throw to strike out.

Pasquantino jumped out on the first pitch, and after shortstop Anthony Volpe's nifty jumping catch, Weaver faced his dual challenge: how to tie Witt to the first pitch while keeping Salvador Pérez, a dangerous bad ball hitter, from doing much damage.

Luke on lock 🔒 pic.twitter.com/kMB0XiHW6v

– New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 10, 2024

“For me it was just about staying calm,” Weaver said, but it was really about so much more. “It was a matter of thought, making sure (Witt) was awkward and uncomfortable over there – changing holds and finding ways to make him feel like he didn't have what it took to go.”

Weaver didn't overthrow Pérez before any of his six throws. But he varied his hold times, once running the pitch clock to two seconds, another time to one. Witt never ran until Pérez hit a single up the middle. He ran to third, but a flyout ended the inning and the Yankees retained the lead.

“If he goes second, obviously we’re dealing with something different,” Weaver said. “I was definitely happy with the way he stayed at first base because he wanted to go — I know he did.”

Witt, who stole 110 bases in his three-year career, said he was considering a move. He acknowledged Weaver's effectiveness in pinning him, but said the rest of the inning may not have panned out the same from there.

“Yeah, there's always the possibility (of stealing), but I just wanted to leave a hole open or whatever it was,” Witt said. “He's a little quick on the right track and I somehow couldn't make the jump. You can look back on it and say, “I should have stolen there; Salvy has taken a hit.' But you never know what will happen. You can’t play this game.”

Weaver has been nearly flawless since Sept. 6, when he made his first career save at Wrigley Field in Chicago. In 11 games – including all three in this ALDS – he has gone 14 1/3 innings, allowing one unearned run, six hits and three walks, along with 27 strikeouts.

After playing for six teams in eight seasons, Weaver pitched exclusively as a reserve this season for the first time in his career. He changed his leg kick to a slide stride, and a new fastball grip has helped him throw the pitch harder than ever before: an average of 95.7 mph, according to Fangraphs.

Aaron Judge — a teammate of Weaver's on the 2012 Brewster Whitecaps in the Cape Cod League — said the competitiveness has always been there.

“He has great fastball command and great feel for the heater,” Judge said. “He can throw it up and away (or) down and away. He can go up and in whenever he needs to, and if you start jumping on it, he has a devastating changeup-cutter combo that he loves to use. I think the biggest thing is that he just goes out there and attacks guys. He attacks them, doesn’t normally walk with boys, and that’s what you’re looking for.”

The Yankees didn't want to look for a new closer. They trusted Clay Holmes — an All-Star in 2022 and again this season — until his 11th save, which ended with a Wyatt Langford grand slam on Sept. 3 in Texas.

Losing the job could have shaken Holmes' confidence, but instead he has thrived, with a 1.50 ERA (two earned runs in 12 innings) in 13 games since Langford's blast. Like Weaver, Holmes has pitched in every game of this series and came on in the fifth inning of Game 3 – his first appearance this early in a game since April 12, 2022.

Hold it on the hill 🙌#RepBX pic.twitter.com/UGJ5AxBqOC

– New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 10, 2024

“There is definitely some resilience when things don't always go perfectly, and there are some things that could be viewed as failures,” Holmes said. “But I know what I’m capable of. For me it was just about accepting that sometimes you're not perfect and you're limited, but I still know what kind of pitcher I can be. If I believe in that, I can treat every out like it’s the most important thing in the game.”

Holmes walked Witt, his first batter, but got Pasquantino to fly out and left Michael Massey at third after chasing starter Clarke Schmidt with a game-winning triple. Holmes and a perfect Tommy Kahnle (four up, four down) got the ball to Weaver.

In a postseason filled with notable bullpen failures — Houston's Josh Hader, Milwaukee's Devin Williams, Cleveland's Emmanuel Clase — Weaver was untouchable. It helps, he said, that he still doesn't see himself as a seamstress.

“I know it’s kind of silly; I made a few saves here now and at the end of the year,” Weaver said. “But I guess I’m just a man with a mission.”

This mission is to make the opponent swing on bad throws, stay in first place at the game's crucial moment, and believe they have it all figured out.

“I don’t want to give anything away to the opposing team, like they’ll think they got me,” Weaver said. “I almost want to go out there with a smile, like I want to own this opportunity and enjoy it more than anything.”

(Top photo by Luke Weaver: Ed Zurga/Getty Images)