Will Warren took the mound for the New York Yankees in a rubber game, hoping to help the team extend its series win streak to three. They had taken two out of three in Sacramento against the Athletics, and Warren delivered a gem in the first game of that series, pitching into the 8th inning and giving him some much-needed momentum in the outing. The right-hander would have a tough task ahead of him with a Seattle Mariners’ offense that has the fourth-highest wRC+ in the league against RHP (117) this season.
With the Mariners loading their offense up with left-handed hitters, Warren would use his curveball a career-high 14.1% of the time, as the pitch would be a dominant weapon for him in his five-inning outing. Matching a career-high in strikeouts (9) in the outing, this curveball could be a difference maker for a rookie who has found some momentum after a brutal start to his career.
New Curveball Could Help Will Warren Solidify Himself on the Yankees’ Pitching Staff
Yesterday was an opportunity for Will Warren to build some momentum coming off the best start of his Major League career up to this point, and he absolutely delivered. The right-hander’s performance was spearheaded by an uptick in his curveball usage, a pitch that picked up five of his 10 whiffs and four of his nine strikeouts on the afternoon.
With how well he threw the ball, he has kept his role as the fourth starter on the roster well and alive, and if he wants to remain in the rotation as the team gets some arms back, he’ll need to continue rolling. This new curveball could be a difference-maker for him, especially against left-handed batters, who have chased out of the zone often against it.
Batters have a 57.9% Whiff% and 38.5% Chase% against Will Warren’s curveball this season, and it has been one of the nastier pitches in his repertoire. According to Eno Sarris’ Stuff+ model, his curveball grades out as the best pitch in his repertoire (114), and it’s become a more reliable weapon for him in those spots than his changeup, which has been hit hard at times.
The curveball that Will Warren throws has way more lateral and vertical movement on it than the average curveball released from the arm slot that he releases his from, creating deceptive angles.
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Will Warren went on a STRIKEOUT RAMPAGE today in Seattle, setting a new career-high with 9 K’s this afternoon🔥
5.0 IP | 3 H | 2 ER | 9 K | 1 BB | 92 P | 53 S
He’s recorded 24 STRIKEOUTS over his last 17 innings pitched😳#Yankees pic.twitter.com/FGmUzNfhUK
— Fireside Yankees (@FiresideYankees) May 14, 2025
While his 4.61 ERA on the season may not seem impressive, the underlying metrics for Will Warren are very encouraging as he owns a 3.25 FIP and 3.45 SIERA. He should be performing better than his ERA indicates, and he’s kept his HR/9 to just 0.88 on the season, which is better than the league average. Warren also has an 18.4% K-BB%, which is significantly better than the MLB average for a starting pitcher.
If the Yankees can help Will Warren limit damage contact a bit better, he could be a really formidable force in their rotation for years to come. The team could also move him to the bullpen if they acquire a starter at the deadline and get Luis Gil back from the IL, as he has a 1.86 ERA and 2.17 FIP first-time-through-a-lineup.
His struggles pitching deep into games are normal for a rookie, and the team’s patience with him could pay off the way it did for Clarke Schmidt and Michael King when they came up through the organization.