You’re Only as Good as Your Paul Blackburn. Seattle 2 NY 1

March 31, 2026 paperbacklou 2026 0
Cal Raleigh walks it off vs Paul Blackburn.

After allowing just 1 run in the first 3 games of the season against the San Francisco Giants, the Yanks went up the coast to Seattle and had another fine night of pitching — with Ryan Weathers, Fernando Cruz, Jake Bird, Brent Headrick, and Camilo Doval allowing only 1 run through 7 innings — in a 1-1 tie.

Paul Blackburn pitched a shutout 8th, but came back out for the 9th and single, fly out, single,  game-winning single (by Cal Raleigh) later and the Yanks had their first loss of the season, 2-1 to the Mariners on a Monday night in Seattle.

NY picked Blackburn up last August after the Mets had dumped him and his 6.85 ERA to Waivers and his first start for the Yanks was inauspicious: he allowed 7 runs on 8 hits in 3 innings against Boston. But he pitched well in 7 relief appearances after that — lowering his ERA with the Yanks to 5.28 — and the Yanks somewhat surprisingly re-signed him for 2026. Before the Mets, the 32-year-old Blackburn was a starter for several years in Oakland; greatest success was a 7-6 4.28 in 2022.

Blackburn seems to be another Yankee Luke Weaver-esq reclamation project — but with NY’s vaunted staff has to be viewed as their weakest link.

Meanwhile the Yankee offense didn’t pronounce itself — but that was because Luis Castillo started for Seattle — and he threw down 6 innings of 2-hit shutout ball. The Yanks tied the game as soon as he left — on an Amed Rosario sac fly in the 7th. But that was all they got.

“Once you’re tied there — you know you got Bednar for an inning — we’re going thru the bottom so, if you’re going to win that game, I felt the best way to go was Black,” said Aaron Boone afterwards, “and I thought he managed contact for the most part there, even in that final inning.”

“We were having a hard time with his fastball, it was playing up tonite,” added Boone about Castillo. “That low slot, he’s able to generate some swings and misses at the top and he had — I thought — with his fastball was able to get us to swing and miss through some pitches.”

NY falls to 3-1; Seattle improves to 3-2.

1. Weathers Good

Ryan Weathers was acquired in the off season to be an insurance starter this year for NY — especially early in the season with Carlos Rodon expected to miss the first month, Gerrit Cole also due back in May from Tommy John surgery, and Clarke Schmidt due back in August.

And so here he was as the Yanks’ 4th starter of the season — and he pitched well — allowing 1 run while pitching into the 5th — 4.1 innings, 4 hits, 7 K’s, 2 walks.

The only run Weathers allowed came in the bottom of the 2nd — after he allowed the first 2 batters of the inning to get on (single and walk), then got a strike out and pop out — he allowed a 2-out, RBI single to Cole Young for a 1-0 Seattle lead.

But Weathers got the last out of the 2nd and pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 3rd and 4th with a couple of strikeouts.

2. Fernando Filthy in 5th

Weathers allowed consecutive leadoff singles in the 5th, got a groundout that moved the runners — and left for Fernando Cruz — who struck out the next 2 batters to end the inning.

3. Castillo Great

But Luis Castillo was on the other hill and he was dealing.

The Yanks worked 2 walks off him in the 3rd inning — a 1-out walk by Jose Caballero and a 2-out walk by Aaron Judge — be he struck out Cody Bellinger to end the inning.

Giancarlo Stanton broke up the no hitter in the 4th with a single but was thrown out trying to stretch it to a double.

Jose Caballero got an infield single with 2 outs in the 5th. But Caballero was picked off 1st as Castillo pitched to Trent Grisham.

Castillo blew through a 1-2-3 inning in the 6th and left after 95 pitches with a 1-0 lead. He struck out 7.

4. Yanks Tie Game 1-1 on Rosario Sac Fly in 7th

The Yanks tied the game as soon as Castillo left — Ben Rice led off the 7th with a single off Jose Ferrer, Giancarlo Stanton reached on an error, Jazz Chisholm Jr. grounded out to move the runners, and Amad Rosario hit a sac fly off Eduard Bazardo to tie the game.

5. Yank Pen Great

The Yank pen was great as usual.

Fernando Cruz got the 2 big strikeouts to end the 5th with runners on 2nd and 3rd, then Jake Bird came in and got 4 outs in the 6th (working around a 2-out throwing error by Ryan McMahon).

Brent Headrick came in and worked around trouble in the 7th — a strikeout, double, single, and strikeout — leaving with 2 outs and runners on 1st and 3rd. Camilo Doval came in and got Rodriguez to ground out to end the threat.

6. Blackburn Pitches Shutout 8th, Loses It in 9th

Paul Blackburn came in for the 8th — and got groundout, groundout, walk, groundout for a shutout inning.

But in the 9th — Leo Rivas led off with a single, Cole Young flied out, Brendan Donovan singled to center, and Cal Raleigh walked it off with a single to right for the old ballgame.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401814748

 

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