1 week Ago By Dan Martin
CLEVELAND — The Yankees may finally get something out of Mark Leiter Jr. in October. The right-hander, acquired from the Cubs prior to the trade deadline in July, pitched poorly enough since the trade that he was excluded from the rosters for the ALDS against the Royals and the ALCS versus Cleveland.
But he was added Friday to replace the injured Ian Hamilton, who suffered a left calf strain in Thursday’s Game 3 loss . Because Hamilton was removed from the ALCS roster, he won’t be able to pitch in the World Series. General manager Brian Cashman said the Yankees hoped Leiter and his split-fingered fastball would be an effective pitch against Cleveland’s lefty-heavy lineup, making Leiter the choice over other candidates such as the inexperienced Cody Poteet and Clayton Beeter.
“He’s had a hell of a year, just not as good when he got here for us,” Cashman said. “But he’s certainly capable. He’s got a pretty good weapon against left-handed hitters.
I hope it benefits us. Hopefully when called upon, he’ll give us quality outs.” Cashman added that while Nestor Cortes — out with a strained elbow — would have been willing to return for this series, he was not a consideration.
“Nestor would want to be [on the roster], but we would be skipping too many return-to-play protocols to safely deploy him,’’ Cashman said of the lefty. “That doesn’t mean he might not be available for the next round if [we] get there. He has a few more hurdles to climb to get him into a safe zone.
It’s his career we’re talking about, so we want to make sure he’s right.” As for Leiter, he was brought in to help steady a bullpen that needed a boost, with Clay Holmes struggling at the time. Follow The Post’s coverage of the Yankees in the postseason: Leiter, who declined comment Thursday when asked how he was staying ready during his layoff, has had trouble for most of his time in The Bronx .
In the postseason, the team’s bullpen pitched well — until Thursday’s dramatic, 10-inning loss. Holmes, Luke Weaver and Tommy Kahnle led the way, but each of them was ineffective in the defeat. They could certainly use another reliable arm, with the pen taxed and the Yankees — like most teams in these playoffs — not getting a lot of length from their starters.
Leiter, acquired for a pair of prospects, entered Friday having not pitched since the end of the regular season. But his last four appearances in September were better than the bulk of his other outings with the Yankees. He tossed 4 2/3 scoreless innings in those four games — though Leiter did allow three hits and a pair of walks.
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