Reinvented arsenal paying off for Weaver in new role

This story was excerpted from Bryan Hoch’s Yankees Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

OAKLAND -- When Luke Weaver was summoned for his first Major League save opportunity on Sept. 6 at Chicago’s Wrigley Field, the right-hander remarked that he “blacked out” and “couldn’t see straight,” the heightened emotions of the ninth inning nearly overcoming him.

Weaver made it through that chance, polishing off a 3-0 Yankees victory. It was a valuable learning experience for the 31-year-old, who has continued to gain comfort in each succeeding outing. Compared to that first assignment, Weaver’s five-out save to seal a 7-4 win over the Athletics on Sunday at Oakland Coliseum looked like a breeze.

“Comfortable is not necessarily the right word, but I’d say more acquainted, more calm,” Weaver said. “It feels like I can slow it down. The nerves and adrenaline are a little bit more controlled, and I feel like I can just kind of pitch. Things are coming together pretty well. I think the experience each time makes it easier to combat those high intensity moments.”

With Clay Holmes moved out of the ninth inning, Weaver has stepped in as the de facto closer -- though manager Aaron Boone has yet to anoint him as such. Sunday’s outing at Oakland made Weaver 4-for-4 in save chances since the shift; not only has he carried his season-long results into the new role, but his stuff also may be playing up.

In his past seven games, starting with that Sept. 6 save, Weaver has held opponents to three hits and one unearned run over 10 innings. He has been credited with two victories, four saves and one hold, striking out 22 against just three walks.

“I think it was just about doing it the first time, getting it under your belt, accomplishing that feat in a pretty hard ballpark and against a good team,” Weaver said. “It was about getting past the emotions that come before going in, warming up and getting in the game.

“From there, it just kind of settles in. When the game’s over, I’m not emotional. It’s like, ‘The game is over, it’s on to the next one.’ So there’s definitely more emotional control.”

Weaver has been one of the terrific surprises of this Yankees season, authoring a remarkable turnaround after the journeyman was cut loose by the Mariners and Reds last summer. With his career at a potential crossroads, Weaver ditched his slider and curveball while increasing usage of his cutter.

There was more: Weaver tweaked his grip to transform his four-seam fastball into an elite offering, picking up velocity and vertical rise. Last season, Weaver struck out 19.4 percent of hitters; this year, it’s 30.4 percent, the largest increase in the Majors.

“I looked at other guys and I’m like, ‘Man, they get a lot of swing and miss in this game,’” Weaver said. “I was like, ‘That would be fun.’ And it sure is. It really is a blessing, and it’s crazy to think about how things just come together. A year ago, if I were to look at what I’m doing right now, I’d be like, ‘Yeah, right.’”

Weaver credited Gerrit Cole for helping fine-tune the fastball grip, which he acknowledged didn’t initially feel comfortable, but he knows better than to argue with the results. Weaver also transitioned from a high leg kick to a slide step, a decision that surprised some of the Yankees’ coaches this spring when he began to showcase it in exhibition games.

“Each day I come to the field, I feel like there’s a chance to get better, to build off something and compete out there and not have my mind wander about if something feels off,” Weaver said. “The mechanical change helps me bridge that gap, and the cherry on top is manipulating grips and trying to elevate movement. When you have that trifecta working, that’s a good recipe, and that’s what’s showing right now.”

With October approaching, Boone said that Weaver may be called upon in ninth-inning save opportunities, but they also could try him as a late-inning fireman. Weaver said that he’ll be ready whenever his number is called, believing the club’s relievers can protect leads all the way through the World Series.

“We have a lot of versatility, and there’s no specific roles -- we’re just trying to match up to our strengths,” Weaver said. “Everybody has been so great from top to bottom in our rotation, and I think that’s helped us manage the game in a shorter window. It’s not always perfect, but at the end of the day, I think we’ve got great personalities and great pitchers.”