TORONTO — The problem facing Luke Weaver has been diagnosed.
As Saturday demonstrated, it has not been completely fixed.
Within the past month, the Yankees identified that the typically reliable righty was tipping his pitches. Weaver has attempted to halt relaying to hitters which pitch is coming by altering something — he and pitching coach Matt Blake declined to go into detail — in his setup or delivery. Pitching through this adjustment has proven difficult.
For a second time already this postseason, Weaver entered a game, faced three batters and retired none.
His October ERA is infinite, charged with five runs on four hits and two walks while recording zero outs.
“I don’t really feel like myself,” Weaver said after the 10-1, Game 1 ALDS loss to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. “I don’t feel like my mind is completely clear to go out there and attack. I do feel physically strong. I do feel mentally strong overall.
“I just think there’s some factors that are building up.”
Those factors became large enough for the Yankees staff to intervene. The Yankees have minds studying each pitcher to detect possible areas in which opposing teams might be able to pick up on which pitch is coming.
Considering the added attention from every team in the postseason, the Yankees decided Weaver’s issue was pressing enough to address.
“When things are brought to your attention,” Blake said, “things have to be adjusted.”
Such adjustments happen all the time. It is more rare that such adjustments happen on the fly during the largest games of the year.
“They’re just happening pretty late, and it’s become a lot,” said Weaver, who entered in the seventh inning of a game his club trailed 2-1 and walked Daulton Varsho before giving up singles to Anthony Santander and Andrés Giménez to jump-start a four-run inning.
The Yankees believe Weaver is no longer tipping his pitches.
But whatever tweak he has made has altered his feeling and execution on the mound.
“I think that’s really the issue now, is how much is taking your mind away from actually executing pitches vs. tipping,” Blake said. “I think that’s the line you’re trying to avoid.”
Weaver was remarkable all of last season and last October, when he was the club’s closer.
He had a somewhat strange 2025, in which he began brilliantly — he owned a 1.05 ERA when he was sidelined in June by a hamstring strain — was knocked around for much of the end of June and July and was generally strong down the stretch, with the exceptions of two outings against the Tigers and Twins in which he allowed eight total runs.
It is unclear how long Weaver had been tipping his pitches, but he, Blake and manager Aaron Boone believe the stuff itself is at its usual level.
“I feel like I’m close. I feel like I’m competitive,” Weaver said after a night he might have been more unfortunate than bad. “I don’t feel like I’m getting hit hard. Guys are finding some holes. … I just felt late in the adjustments I was making.”
