"I'm from New York and I'm a New York boy. That kind of says everything for itself,” Stroman said then. "I love pitching [at Yankee Stadium]. New York is like the Mecca of the world. I love excitement, the bright lights, competition, I love pressure. I always loved pitching here. I haven't necessarily pitched well, [but] I always enjoyed it.
"Yankee lineups are brutal. They are kind of hard to navigate, [but] I love the spotlight. The bigger the moment, that's what I kind of wanted it to be."
Stroman has a five-pitch mix which includes a sinker (his No. 1 pitch), curveball, cutter, slider and four-seam fastball, which often clocks in the low 90s. Those pitches helped him become an All-Star in 2023 -- his second career selection.
Stroman went 9-6 with a 2.96 ERA before the All-Star break for the Cubs, but rib cage and hip injuries slowed him down in the second half. He appeared in only eight games -- two of them out of the bullpen -- and allowed 27 runs (23 earned) in 24 innings.
“His best qualities are command and pitchability,” said a National League scout. “He really knows how to pitch, and he competes. When you look at the Yankees, in terms of needs and what is available, Stroman is a very good signing. There is not a lot out there. They don’t have enough players to get a Dylan Cease, which would have been good, or a Corbin Burnes [in a trade].”
