Inside The Pinstripes

New York Yankees Lose High-Leverage Reliever to Injury

One of the New York Yankees' high-leverage relievers was forced out of Game 3 of the ALCS with an apparent injury.

Pat Ragazzo

Oct 7, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Ian Hamilton (71) throws a pitch against the Kansas City Royals in the fourth inning during game two of the ALDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Oct 7, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Ian Hamilton (71) throws a pitch against the Kansas City Royals in the fourth inning during game two of the ALDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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Adding injury to insult.

With the New York Yankees trailing the Cleveland Guardians 2-1 in Game 3 of the ALCS, one of their high-leverage bullpen arms was forced out of action.

Right-handed relief pitcher Ian Hamilton left the game in the bottom of the sixth inning with an apparent injury after hustling over to first base to cover the bag following a booted play by Jon Berti.

According to Max Goodman of NJ Advance Media, Hamilton threw one warmup pitch that went to the backstop before exiting the game with a trainer.

The Yankees brought in left-hander Tim Mayza, who proceeded to allow an RBI single to Andres Gimenez, which was charged to Hamilton. This extended Cleveland's lead to 3-1.

This was Hamilton's second appearance in the postseason; the first came in Game 2 of the ALDS, where he struck out three Kansas City Royals hitters in a span of 1.1 scoreless innings.

Hamilton was limited to just 37.2 innings in the regular season after a lat strain landed him on the IL from June 18 to September 7, nearly a span of three full months. Upon returning in September, the righty had a sparkling 1.13 ERA and 11 strikeouts across eight innings down the stretch.

Last season, Hamilton was one of the best Yankee relievers, posting a 2.64 ERA in 58 innings in 2023.

Should Hamilton's injury he land him on the IL, righty reliever Mark Leiter Jr. would make sense as a logical replacement on the ALCS roster.

The Yankees later announced that Hamilton is dealing with left calf tightness, per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic.

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Pat Ragazzo
PAT RAGAZZO

Pat Ragazzo is the reporter, publisher, site manager and executive editor for Sports Illustrated's Mets and Yankees On SI websites. Pat was selected as The Top Reporter & Publisher of the Year 2024 by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) for outstanding leadership, dedication, and commitment to the industry. He has been seen on several major TV Network stations including: NBC4, CBS2, FOX5, PIX11 and NY1; and is frequently heard on ESPN New York FM 880 AM and WFAN Sports Radio 101.9 FM as a guest. Pat also serves as the Mets insider for the "Allow Me 2 Be Frank" podcast hosted by Frank "The Tank" Fleming of Barstool Sports. You can follow him on Twitter/X: @ragazzoreport.

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