It seems that New York Yankees fans aren’t exactly shedding any tears over Marcus Stroman’s struggles. On Friday night, Stroman failed to make it past the first inning, giving up five earned runs and walking three in a 9-1, rain-shortened defeat to the San Francisco Giants.
As he left the field, the Yankee Stadium crowd greeted him with boos. Stroman has now allowed 12 earned runs over 9.2 innings this season, but control issues may not be his biggest concern.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone revealed that Stroman reported a knee injury after the game. He underwent X-rays at Yankee Stadium, followed by additional tests at a nearby hospital. “We’ll see what we have [Saturday],” Boone told the media, according to the Yankees’ official website.
Yankees fans didn’t seem too upset about the prospect of Stroman missing some time. One user on X (formerly Twitter) wrote, “Here’s hoping it’s serious,” while another added, “His knee, or was it his [expletive] to see if he will be able to sustain sitting for long periods of time since he won’t be pitching much longer?”
Stroman had already angered many Yankees fans after holding out briefly during spring training and publicly declaring that he wouldn’t pitch out of the bullpen.
Due to injuries to other pitchers, including ace Gerrit Cole and reigning Rookie of the Year Luis Gil, Stroman began the season in the rotation. So far, he’s posted a 10-10 record with a 4.72 ERA over 164 innings as a Yankee. Boone had moved him to the bullpen late last season, and Stroman didn’t pitch in the playoffs.
“Marcus Stroman was once the Yankees’ #7 starter. I miss that time,” one fan tweeted.
“Ironically, the best thing for the Yankees is if Stroman can’t continue,” another user commented. “He refuses to go to the bullpen and lose his starting spot, and every time he performs poorly, there’s always an excuse.” Many fans are now suggesting that the team place Stroman on the 60-day injured list and make sure he never pitches for the Yankees again. One fan even wrote, “Just pretend he doesn’t exist.”
