TORONTO — The Yankees’ postseason nightmare grew deeper Saturday night, and it was about more than the 10-1 beating at Rogers Centre. Luke Weaver, the reliever who was once the backbone of last October’s bullpen, looked completely lost.
For the second straight playoff outing, Weaver entered, faced three hitters, and retired none. His October ERA sits at infinity. The stat line is brutal: five earned runs, four hits, two walks, and zero outs recorded. And now, the reason behind it is out in the open.
Mental game unraveling amid mechanical fixes
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
After the Game 1 Division Series loss, Weaver admitted he has been battling a pitch tipping problem. Even worse, the adjustments made to address it have thrown his entire delivery and confidence into disarray.
“I don’t really feel like myself,” Weaver said. “I don’t feel like my mind is completely clear to go out there and attack.”
Luke Weaver has faced six batters this postseason:
The Yankees discovered the tipping issue about a month ago. Something in his setup or delivery was signaling what pitch was coming. Coaches intervened, and Weaver altered his motion. But implementing those changes in the highest-pressure games of the year has backfired.
“There’s been adjustments I’ve had to make based off of things that people are seeing, and it just hasn’t really lined up,” Weaver explained. “It’s been pretty late in the adjustment period, and it’s just not lining up out there.”
Yankees believe fix created bigger problem
Pitching coach Matt Blake confirmed that the team believes Weaver has stopped tipping pitches. That should have solved the problem, but it hasn’t.
The tweak has left him thinking about mechanics instead of simply competing.
“I think that’s really the issue now,” Blake said. “How much is it taking your mind away from actually executing pitches versus tipping. I think that’s the line you’re trying to avoid, basically putting too much on their plate and just letting them go out and attack the hitters.”
Blake admitted such adjustments are part of the job. But in October, mid-series changes are rarely successful.
“When things are brought to your attention, things have to be adjusted,” Blake said. “They’re just happening pretty late, and it’s become a lot.”
Seventh inning nightmare repeats itself
Saturday’s collapse was almost identical to what happened in the Wild Card opener. Weaver entered in the seventh with New York trailing 2-1. He walked Daulton Varsho. Anthony Santander singled. Andres Gimenez followed with another single to drive in a run. All three eventually scored during a four-run inning.
The scenario mirrored the seventh inning against Boston just five days earlier. Luke Weaver faced three Red Sox batters: Ceddanne Rafaela walked, Nick Sogard doubled, and Masataka Yoshida singled in two runs. The Yankees lost 3-1.
Adding to the frustration, both Santander and Gimenez had struggled badly against Weaver before. Santander was just 1-for-6. Gimenez was 0-for-7. This time, they came through against him.
Weaver’s velocity remains at 95–96 mph. His pitches still have life. The execution, though, has evaporated.
“Again, not a stuff issue,” manager Aaron Boone said. “It can click like that, because the stuff is there. We’ve just got to get him locked in with his delivery.”
Historic futility marks troubled October
Weaver’s struggles have put him in rare company for the wrong reasons. He became only the second pitcher in history to face at least three hitters without recording an out in each of his first two postseason appearances.
The only other was Rick Honeycutt with the 1989 Oakland Athletics, also against Toronto. Honeycutt finished that postseason with a 16.62 ERA in six games. His team still went on to win the World Series.
The Yankees hope Weaver can script his own redemption story. They already have Devin Williams and David Bednar lined up for the late innings. But they need more options for the seventh. Without Weaver, that bridge to the eighth and ninth is fragile.
From hero to question mark in one year
The contrast with last October is staggering. Weaver was nearly unhittable in the 2024 postseason, anchoring the bullpen with a 1.76 ERA across 12 games. He was the trusted closer in high-pressure moments.
This year began the same way. Weaver dominated with a 1.05 ERA before a June hamstring injury. After a rocky summer stretch, he steadied himself down the stretch. But late September raised alarms. Over his final 12 regular-season outings, he posted a 9.64 ERA.
That was when the tipping issue apparently began. Weaver still managed six straight scoreless appearances to finish the season, but those games came against weaker lineups and hid the deeper problem.
Weaver plans drastic mental reset
Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
After the latest disaster, Weaver vowed to change course. He said he will no longer focus on pitch tipping or mechanics. Instead, he plans to reset mentally and return to basics.
“Ultimately, I’m at a point where I’m just full send, and none of that’s going to matter anymore,” Weaver said. “I’m going to do what I think is best for me and I’m going to go out there and attack the way I need to do.”
It’s a risk. If he starts tipping again, opposing hitters will punish him. But if overthinking is the problem, clearing his mind may be his only way forward.
“I’m going to keep my brain clean and clear,” Weaver added, insisting his focus will now be only on executing pitches.
Team maintains faith despite brutal start
Even with Weaver’s October unraveling, his teammates aren’t giving up on him. Aaron Judge voiced confidence in the reliever’s ability to rebound.
“He’s a big part of this team, big part of this bullpen,” Judge said. “He helped us get to this point in the season and he’s going to have a lot of big moments for us in this postseason. He’s one of the guys I want running out of the bullpen in any big situation because I know he can handle it.”
Weaver himself refuses to back down.
“I feel like I’m close. I feel like I’m competitive,” he said. “I’ll compete with anybody in this entire world, and at the end of the day, I’ll die trying.”
For the Yankees to survive this postseason, they need that version of Weaver again — the one who thrived under pressure, not the one unraveling under mechanical tweaks.
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