The New York Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt delivered a valiant performance on the mound Monday night. However, it wasn’t enough to secure a win against their AL East rivals. The game against the Baltimore Orioles was a hard nut to crack despite superpowers like Aaron Judge and Juan Soto being there. The final score was a 2-0 loss for the Yankees.

While the outcome was not ideal, there’s no denying Schmidt’s effort. Manager Aaron Boone shared a clear assessment of the young pitcher’s performance in a recent post-game interview. And clearly, “Clarke did everything to give us a chance to win tonight.”

Aaron Boone’s words on Clarke Schmidt’s pitching performance

The stats are in sync with Boone’s praise. Boone said, “Clarke was good. Obviously. I thought he really settled in, pitched really well.”  Schmidt pitched into the sixth inning, enabling only one earned run. Nevertheless, the night belonged to Orioles phenom Gunnar Henderson, who wasted no time making his mark. 

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Despite leading off the very first inning and Henderson launching a towering home run off Schmidt’s knuckle curve, the latter’s play was nonetheless impressive. While Schmidt’s outing deserves credit, it’s worth noting the brilliance of Baltimore’s starting pitcher, Grayson Rodriguez. The young fireballer tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings, stifling the usually potent Yankees lineup.  Rodriguez effectively mixed his pitches, keeping the Yankees guessing and off-balance all night.

Clearly, the game was on the Orioles’ side as names like Aaron Judge or Juan Soto could not bring out their best against their rivals. But Boone acknowledged the efforts of the 28-year-old Schmidt. He went on to share, “But you know, after the first three hitters of the game, there were some really good contact against him. I thought he really settled in, pitched really well. Went that third time through against all three of those guys. Successfully. So you know, he did everything to give us a chance to win tonight.”

How the Baltimore Orioles emerged dominant

Despite Schmidt’s strong start, the Yankees were unable to capitalize on their scoring chances. They stranded a staggering 10 runners on base, including going 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position. This offensive low ultimately turned out to be the deciding factor in the game.

Although the Yanks dropped the first game of the series, the pinstripes are looking to bounce back in the remaining matchups. With their offense still a work in progress but potent enough, they could couple their strengths with a deep pitching staff to turn things around. The Yankees certainly have the capability to work things out in their favor. In this rivalry between New York and Baltimore, one thing’s for sure: The battle for the AL East dominance is just heating up.