Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees' Ron Marinaccio Works Out of Jam in MLB Debut

Ron Marinaccio, New York's No. 28 prospect, showed what he's capable of while making his MLB debut in a win over the Red Sox on Saturday.

Max Goodman

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NEW YORK — The fifth pitch of Ron Marinaccio's MLB career sailed high above the strike zone, drawing a collective groan from a sellout crowd at Yankee Stadium.

Marinaccio was making his MLB debut on Saturday, called upon in the fourth inning of a 2-2 ballgame after starter Luis Severino allowed a leadoff single to start the frame. 

The right-hander, a lifelong Yankees fan from Toms River, New Jersey, had envisioned this moment countless times. Surely he never pictured his debut beginning with a four-pitch walk and an errant heater to start his second at-bat on the mound, though.

Before Marinaccio could deliver his sixth pitch of the afternoon, the pitching prospect looked up and found first baseman Anthony Rizzo and catcher Kyle Higashioka trotting in his direction for a mound visit.

"I definitely needed it," Marinaccio told reporters in the Yankees clubhouse after the game. "After ball five, Rizzo came out there and said 'just give me a deep breath' and that's exactly what I needed at that point. Higgy told me we're going to go slider next pitch, I had confidence in him and landed that next one."

As planned, Marinaccio's next offering was a slider, biting back into the zone to even the count with first baseman Bobby Dalbec. Later in the at-bat, the right-hander unleashed his signature pitch, getting Dalbec to swing through a changeup at the bottom of the zone for his first career strikeout. 

Marinaccio wasn't out of the woods just yet. He still had runners on first and second in a tie game, needing to buckle down and get two more outs. 

That's exactly what he did.

Following a ground ball to second base off the bat of outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr., resulting in a fielder's choice, Marinaccio struck catcher Christian Vazquez out looking on a front-door slider.

Marinaccio slapped his glove with his right fist as he hopped off the mound. Somewhere in the crowd of 46,882 fans in attendance, his parents, brother, fiancé and friends roared in celebration.

"That's as special of a moment probably as I could have come into I think," he said. "Yankees, Red Sox. Glad I got to kind of kill two birds with one stone. Got the debut out of the way and an exciting situation, pitching in that part of the game as well."

Getting out of a jam there was pivotal in what turned out to be a 4-2 win for the Yankees. Marinaccio was one of six relievers to throw a scoreless frame on Saturday—Giancarlo Stanton's two-run home run in the sixth was the difference in New York's second consecutive win to start the season. 

"It's a tough situation to come in to," right-hander Chad Green said of Marinaccio after spinning a scoreless seventh. "Obviously a big game, sold-out crowd, it's not easy. For him to find his composure after that first hitter was big for us."

Yankees manager Aaron Boone added that he had no hesitation bringing Marinaccio in for his debut in such an important situation. He's on this team because the coaching staff believes in him.

Once he slowed down and found the zone, settling on a release point, he gave fans a sneak peek of what he's capable of at the big-league level.

"I love his makeup," manager Aaron Boone said. "I knew he'd get through it. ... I thought it was the perfect timing for Rizz and Higgy to go out there and [tell him] 'trust your stuff, you're in here and on this team because you're more than capable.' Thought he locked in from there and started executing pitches like he can."

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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