Yankees' Michael King starts, throws four scoreless innings in win over Tigers

DETROIT – Even as he emerged the last couple of seasons as a top bullpen weapon, Michael King never lost his desire – and No. 1 professional goal – of being a big-league starter.

The righthander is getting that chance and, in the early going, he's making the most of it.

King, who came up in the minors as a starter and did not experience consistent success in the handful of opportunities he got doing so with the Yankees in 2020 and 2021, threw four scoreless innings Tuesday night in a 4-2 victory over the Tigers at Comerica Park.

Two weeks ago, the Yankees (64-68) decided, while still keeping open the option of using King as a valuable multi-inning reliever, to gradually stretch the pitcher out for the rest of the season to see if the 28-year-old might be a rotation option next season.

King threw 60 pitches Tuesday against the Tigers – allowing three hits and striking out five. He threw 50 pitches over 2 2/3 innings last Thursday against the Nationals.

“I felt great,” King said of his fatigue level at 60 pitches. “I think I came out of the gate a little too hot because in the second inning I realized my velo was a little bit down, but every time I wanted to reach back, I felt like I could.”

King, who lowered his season ERA to 2.96, kept the Tigers off-balance with his four-pitch mix – four-seam fastball, sinker, slider and changeup.

“He definitely has the weapons to do it,” Aaron Boone said afterward of King’s potential as a starter.  

Gleyber Torres homer in the first– his 22nd of the season and second in as many nights – gave King a 1-0 lead before he took the mound. The ball traveled 454-feet to left off Tarik Skubal, the third-longest homer at Comerica Park this season, according to MLB.com.

In the bottom half, King struck out Tigers leadoff man Akil Baddoo looking at a 98-mph fastball, got Riley Greene to ground to second, and struck out Spencer Torkelson swinging at a 96-mph sinker.

King faced one jam, in the third, when an error by Harrison Bader, who was put on waivers earlier in the day, put runners at first and third with one out. But King got out of it.

The Yankees also got homers from Kyle Higashioka (No. 10) in the fifth inning and Anthony Volpe (No. 19) in the ninth to make it 4-0 (Aaron Judge scored on a passed ball in the sixth, which made it 3-0).

The Tigers (59-73) scored twice against Clay Holmes in the bottom of the ninth but Javier Baez, up as the tying run, struck out.

By Erik Boland

erik.boland@newsday.comeboland11

Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.