Paul Blackburn delivered a significant six-out save for the New York Yankees on Sunday, securing a 5-3 victory over the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park and effectively closing out the first half of the season. The performance underscored his increasing reliability and role within the team's bullpen.
With key relievers David Bednar and Fernando Cruz unavailable due to recent usage, and Brent Headrick having thrown a significant number of pitches over the preceding three days, manager Aaron Boone turned to Blackburn. The right-hander entered in the eighth inning and retired all six batters he faced, marking his second career save and his first traditional multi-inning save since his time with the Mets last season.
Boone praised Blackburn's recent contributions, noting his quiet effectiveness over the last four to six weeks. "Paul’s quietly pitched really well for us for the last 4-6 weeks and is really establishing a nice role down there. He’s getting settled into the bullpen," Boone said.
Since May 16, Blackburn has posted a 1.16 ERA across 20 appearances, striking out 26 batters while issuing only six walks in 31 innings pitched. This strong performance has led to more high-leverage opportunities in a bullpen that has limited trusted options beyond Bednar, Cruz, and Headrick.
In other team news, Max Fried, who is recovering from a left elbow bone bruise, threw 44 pitches across three simulated innings on Saturday. Boone indicated that if Fried's recovery continues favorably through the All-Star break, he could begin a rehab assignment as early as Friday, marking the start of the second half of the season. Carlos Rodón, dealing with left elbow inflammation, has responded well to playing catch for three days and is expected to pitch every day this week, with a potential bullpen session being considered. Pitcher Will Warren experienced a minor left hamstring tweak after slipping on his landing foot during a pitch but remained in the game, with Warren stating he is fine.
Offensively, Austin Wells marked his 27th birthday with a pivotal RBI single in the fifth inning that gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead. This hit was his third RBI in his last four games, a notable increase after recording only 10 RBIs in his first 62 games of the season.