“I knew he was done,” stated Yankees manager Aaron Boone, referring to the moments before Clarke Schmidt was taken off the mound. That’s a complete no-brainer, as many may think. He clearly appeared worn out. However, that didn’t stop him from pitching seven innings without any hits, ultimately leading the Yankees to a 9-0 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday.
The Yankees may finally be getting back on track after losing the series opener to the Orioles, thanks to the victory. Thanks to Schmidt, who had such a high pitch count, despite coming back from a minor back injury. Speaking of Schmidt, Boone said, “I kind of feel like Clarke’s one of the more underrated starting pitchers in the game. It’s two years now—really, really good stuff—and to be under a 3.00 ERA now after a little bit of getting his feet wet.” What stood out for him was the combination of four-seamer, cutter, fastball, and sinker. However, Schmidt now opens up on the “underrated” claim made by the manager.
Clarke Schmidt rather agreed that he is underrated. Following the game, he said in the post-game interview, “Yeah, for sure. I think every time I go out there, I’m trying to prove myself. I’ve had a chip on my shoulder since I was a young kid.” After this evening’s performance, Schmidt went 4-3 with a 2.84 ERA, recording five strikeouts while giving away a couple of walks.
Clarke Schmidt was asked if he believes he’s underrated:
“Yeah, for sure. I think every time I go out there I’m trying to prove myself. I’ve had a chip on my shoulder since I was a young kid” pic.twitter.com/ruF0P8lbDP
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) June 21, 2025
Despite doing great against the Orioles, Schmidt feels that every time he goes out, he has to prove himself. And not being one of the best players on the team is attributed to the lack of attention he gets from everyone. However, this probably serves as a motivating factor for him. “I find ways to motivate myself very easily, so being underrated is another way to put it.”
But the way Clarke Schmidt has gone three consecutive scoreless outings with 20.2 IP is hard to ignore. More importantly, the Yankees’ starting rotation took a serious hit after they lost their number one starter, Gerrit Cole, due to Tommy John surgery. Schmidt’s pitching form, however, comes as a sigh of relief for the Yankees.
And now, according to the catcher, J.C. Escarra, Schmidt has only gotten better with time.
Clarke Schmidt’s teammate sends a strong message to the pitcher
“I think he’s just getting better and better. Every time he goes out there, he has a better game than he did the last. I’m excited to see what the season has for him,” J.C. Escarra said, heaping praise on his teammate’s performance. For him, Schmidt has been mixing the pitches quite well. And he looked even more deadly when he was right in the zone.
Schmidt gave up consecutive walks to Jordan Westburg and Gunnar Henderson in his 27 pitches in the first inning. But once he was warmed up, the Orioles bats simply couldn’t touch him. So far this season, Schmidt has recorded 65 strikeouts and a 1.06 WHIP across 69.2 IP.
It’s quite evident to feel proud of a teammate who had a great game, no? Well, for the most part, Escarra was behind the plate. And just as Clarke Schmidt extended his scoreless innings to 20s, Escarra positioned himself once again behind the plate. With the bat, he managed to collect a home run alongside three hits and two RBIs.
However, coming to Schmidt, despite going for a no-hitter, he was pulled out after 103 pitches. Aaron Boone didn’t want him to go for 130. Perhaps he could have gone beyond, but it was just not that day. It was also best not to risk another arm while the Yankees look to reinforce their pitching.
While many may feel that it wasn’t the right decision to pull him out in that moment, it cannot be denied that pushing him too much might have landed him in another injury. As of now, he is doing great and the Yankees want him to continue with that.
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