King (4-8) took the loss Sunday, allowing four runs on eight hits over four innings in a 5-2 loss against Kansas City. He struck out one.
King had a rough game to end the season, as he had not allowed more than one earned run in his last seven starts dating back to Aug. 24. Solo home runs by Edward Olivares and Dairon Blanco in the fourth inning chased him from the outing after 71 pitches. The right-hander wrapped up the campaign with a 2.75 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 127 strikeouts across 104.2 innings, working both as a starter and reliever. His success switching between either role may afford the team flexibility with his position ahead of 2024.
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Yankees' Michael King: Fans five in no-decision
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King did not factor into the decision Tuesday, allowing one hit and five walks over six scoreless innings against the Blue Jays. He struck out five.
Tuesday was King's seventh straight start dating back to Aug. 24 after he began the season in the bullpen. He hasn't allowed more than one run in any of those outings while posting a 1.04 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 47:9 K:BB across 34.1 innings. However, King has thrown 100.2 innings this year, far exceeding his previous high of 63.1 in 2021, so there's a possibility he could be shut down. If he does make another start, it's slated for the last Yankees game of the season on the road against the Royals on Sunday.
Yankees' Michael King: Racks up career-best 13 punchouts
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King (4-7) took the loss against Toronto on Wednesday, allowing one run on five hits and no walks while striking out 13 batters over seven innings.
Though he was tagged with the loss due to a stagnant New York offense, King pitched arguably his best game as a major leaguer, tallying a career-best strikeout total and racking up 16 whiffs over seven frames. The only run he allowed came when Bo Bichette reached on a two-out infield single to knock in Kevin Kiermaier in the third inning. King has been a strikeout machine over his past three outings, posting a 30:2 K:BB along with a 1.62 ERA and 1.02 WHIP over 16.2 innings. It would be an understatement to say that his late-season transition to the rotation has gone well, and King could be setting himself up for a full-time role as a starter in 2024 with his recent outstanding run.
King (4-6) took the loss in Game 1 of Thursday's doubleheader against Boston, allowing one run on six hits and one walk while striking out eight batters over 4.2 innings.
Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake said earlier in the day that King had built up to 85-to-90 pitches, and the right-hander was right on target with 87 pitches (56 strikes). He appeared to be getting stronger as the game wore on, striking out the final three batters he faced and not allowing a run after the first frame, which bodes well for his ability to continue going deeper into contests. Nonetheless, King got no run support from the Yankees offense Thursday and ended up with his first loss since Aug. 12. It looks like he'll be a fixture in the rotation moving forward, and he's shined in that role of late, allowing just three earned runs while posting a 29:4 K:BB over his past 21.1 innings.
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Yankees' Michael King: Ready for heavier workload
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Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake said that King is built up for 85-to-90 pitches in Thursday's start versus the Red Sox, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.
King reached 79 pitches his last time out against the Brewers, when he fanned nine over five innings while yielding just one earned run. The right-hander has been excellent since moving into the Yankees' rotation, collecting a 1.08 ERA and 21:3 K:BB over 16.2 frames. He's making a case to be one of the team's five starters heading into next season.
King did not factor into the decision Saturday, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and one walk over five innings against the Brewers while striking out nine.
King looked sharp against the Brewers, striking out four of the first seven batters he faced to open the contest. Two runs came across for Milwaukee in the top of the fourth, though only one was charged to King following a throwing error by DJ LeMahieu. The right-hander has now gone five innings in back-to-back starts, allowing a total of two earned runs over that stretch while posting a 13:1 K:BB.
King (4-5) allowed a run on five hits and struck out four without walking a batter over five innings to earn the win over the Astros on Sunday.
King enjoyed his longest outing of the season, getting through five frames on an economical 69 pitches (44 strikes). That's a further build-up from the 61 pitches he threw over four scoreless innings Tuesday versus Detroit. The right-hander is now at a 2.88 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 91:25 K:BB through 78 innings over 44 appearances (four starts) this year. He appears to be set to remain a starter for the rest of 2023, but he'll likely still have to be efficient to have much of a chance to get wins. King is projected for a home outing versus Milwaukee in his next trip to the mound.
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Yankees' Michael King: Set for another start Sunday
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King is lined up to receive another start Sunday at Houston, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.
King built his pitch count up to 61 in his most recent start Tuesday versus the Tigers while striking out five batters over four scoreless innings. Jhony Brito will likely be available in bulk relief Sunday against the Astros, but King is perhaps making a case to be treated as more of a traditional starter rather than just an opening pitcher. The 28-year-old right-hander boasts an overall 2.96 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 87:25 K:BB in 73 innings this season for the Yankees.
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Yankees' Michael King: Four scoreless innings
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King did not factor into the decision Tuesday, allowing three hits over four scoreless innings in a 4-2 win over the Tigers. He struck out five and did not issue a walk.
King set down the first six Tigers and surrendered just three singles across his four innings in his role as an opener of sorts. Across his two starts (against Washington and Detroit), the 28-year-old has gone a combined 6.2 innings allowing only four hits and one unearned run while striking out eight and walking two. It appears likely that the Yankees will continue to deploy him in a similar fashion with Jhony Brito following him in a bulk-relief role. If King does draw another start, it would likely occur over the weekend in Houston.
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Yankees' Michael King: Draws another starting assignment
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King is slated to start Tuesday's game against the Tigers at Comerica Park, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
While making his second "start" of the season his last time out Thursday versus the Nationals, King operated as more of an opener in front of Jhony Brito. King covered 2.2 innings, allowing one unearned run on one hit and two walks while striking out three. The Yankees could have King work a little deeper into his start Tuesday, though the right-hander is still unlikely to hit the five innings he would need to qualify for a win. Unless Brito is needed in relief in Monday's series opener, he could once again following King in Tuesday's contest.
