Luke Weaver has been the New York Yankees’ biggest bullpen question all October. On Saturday, that question only grew louder.
Handed the ball in the seventh inning of the ALDS opener against the Toronto Blue Jays, Weaver faced three batters. He didn’t record an out. A single, a walk, and another sharp base hit were enough to bring Aaron Boone to the mound. The Blue Jays broke the game open, and the Yankees’ bullpen construction — already a fragile storyline — tilted toward disaster.
It came just four days after Weaver unraveled in the Wild Card opener against Boston, giving away a one-run lead in the same spot. Two outings, two collapses, and no clean inning to steady his October.
Boone’s Defense
Boone stuck by Weaver after the loss.
“It can click like that because the stuff is there,” Boone told reporters in Toronto. “We’ve just got to get him locked in with his delivery.”
That line underscores why Weaver made the roster in the first place. Boone has leaned on him all season, trusting his swing-and-miss fastball and postseason experience even when the results have dipped.
The Numbers
Weaver’s 2025 season was steady on paper: a 3.62 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 72 strikeouts across 64.2 innings in 64 appearances. His Statcast profile shows an average exit velocity allowed of 89.2 mph and a 36.6 percent hard-hit rate. Those numbers that reveal how thin the margin for error can be when his command drifts.
Those numbers made him a trusted middle-innings arm during the regular season, but his recent slide has been glaring. He has been scored upon in five of his last eight outings dating back to September.
That falloff stands in sharp contrast to last October, when Weaver was a vital piece of the Yankees’ World Series run. In 2024, he posted a 1.76 ERA across 12 postseason appearances, striking out 16 and locking down four saves. His ability to handle leverage was one of Boone’s biggest assets.
The Tipping Concern
Postgame in Toronto, Weaver hinted at a deeper problem. He suggested he hasn’t felt completely comfortable on the mound, hinting heavily that they believe he is tipping his pitches.
Toronto hitters seemed locked in on him. It would explain why his last two postseason outings unraveled so quickly. Against Boston, it was a walk and a two-run single. Against Toronto, three batters reached in a row. In both games, hitters looked ready for what was coming.
What It Means for the Yankees
The Yankees built their roster with Weaver as one of Boone’s trusted middle-inning options, a veteran presence to bridge games to Devin Williams and David Bednar. But after back-to-back October meltdowns, and now questions about pitch tipping, the calculation changes. Boone’s bullpen is suddenly thinner. p.
Boone isn’t ready to give up on Weaver, at least not publicly. But October is unforgiving. The Yankees entered this postseason counting on Weaver as an anchor. Two outings in, they’re left wondering if he has become their biggest liability.
