Yankees rookie Ian Hamilton shuts down Rays: ‘I was surprised’

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Facing the best team in baseball and desperate — at least as desperate as a club can be on May 6 — the Yankees turned to a young major leaguer who is still technically a rookie and had recorded a grand total of 14 ²/₃ major league innings entering this season.

And as he has done since showing up for spring training this year, Ian Hamilton has delivered on his promise.

When manager Aaron Boone needed three more outs as the Yankees clung to a one-run lead on Saturday, Hamilton – pitching for the second straight game and third time in four days – pitched a ninth inning without goal for his first career save in a 3-2 win over the Rays at Tropicana Field.

Hamilton watched as Domingo German went five innings and Wandy Peralta, Ron Marinaccio and Clay Holmes calmed Tampa Bay’s powerful offense from sixth to eighth.

Holmes, the usual closest, took the heart out of the Rays lineup with a lead that looked sharp. Then Hamilton was bugged.

“When they called,” said Hamilton, who pitched on Wednesday and Friday, “I was like, fuck. I was surprised.”

He shouldn’t have been.

The Yankees were without Michael King, who is not yet available on consecutive days.

Jonathan Loaisiga, Lou Trivino and Tommy Kahnle are injured. Their other most reliable weapons had already launched.

And Hamilton, who lowered his ERA to 1.42, is all in the line to be among his most reliable arms.

There was a bit of drama, when Jose Siri sent Harrison Bader back against the center field wall for the first out, and Luke Raley lined up a two-out brace past Anthony Rizzo.

But Hamilton, whose speed was on the rise despite recent use, caused a flyout from Isaac Paredes and hammered his glove twice in celebration.

Reflecting on the kind of weapon he’s become, after mundane short stints with the White Sox and Twins – including a 2019 nightmare in which he was pierced in the face by a hard-hitting ball as he was in a minor league dugout, leading to eight surgeries for facial fractures – the 27-year-old thought back to his offseason.

“I tried to keep it almost like a spring training regimen,” said Hamilton, whose “slambio” — a hybrid of slider and shifter — helped turn him into a difference maker. “You just have to get up early, do everything in the morning. Relax a bit, do some stuff at night. Just try to keep the body moving throughout the offseason.

“I kept doing stuff every day. It didn’t matter what day it was – I didn’t know what day it was.

The work and the slambio were evident immediately. In his first-ever Grapefruit League game, Hamilton threw eight pitches, all strikes, and struck out two in perfect frame, catching the attention of the Yankees.

Boone saw the same pitcher on Saturday, despite the stakes at the time. Hamilton proved to be a revelation and made it clear that he enjoys being part of a club that has a history of championships.

“Just trying to have a chance to win, that’s about the biggest part,” Hamilton said of being a Yankee. “There is a real opportunity to win here.”