This Yankees reliever is the best in the majors
This Yankees reliever is the best in the majors originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
New York Yankees reliever Fernando Cruz has struck out 50 of the 123 hitters he's faced this season. That's a 40.7% strikeout rate. That is the best strikeout rate in all of Major League Baseball.
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It's an amazing place for Cruz to be.
He's doing it in the Bronx. He's doing it at age 35. And he's doing it after spending 15 years waiting for a chance like this.
New York Yankees reliever Fernando Cruz reacts to giving up a run to the Mets on May 17, 2025, at Yankee Stadium.© Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Cruz was drafted by the Royals in 2007. What followed was a baseball journey best described as stubborn, winding, and nearly impossible. He didn't make his MLB debut until 2022—fifteen years after draft day.
Between 2019 and 2021, Cruz wasn't even in affiliated baseball. He pitched in Mexico to stay sharp and keep the dream alive. It worked. The Reds gave him a look. Then came the strikeouts. Then the ERA trouble. Then the uncertainty.
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But the Yankees saw something in him. He was their target when dealing Jose Trevino to the Reds this past winter.
And on Sunday, Cruz reminded everyone why they took a chance. In the middle of a come-from-behind win over the Orioles, he struck out the side.
Cruz is throwing a splitter that belongs in a museum. When it's locked in, it's devastating, it's disappearing, and it's turning big-league hitters into frustrated pedestrians. No one in baseball is striking out more hitters per opportunity.
From Mexico to the mound at Yankee Stadium, Cruz's story isn't just a feel-good one. It's a full-circle one. He didn't just find his way back. He found a way to dominate.
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And the Yankees found their latest success story.
Related: Jazz Chisholm Jr. Scores Shoeless Then Shares Jasson Dominguez's Secret Superpower
Related: Yankees' Clarke Schmidt Thinks He would Have Finished Off the No-Hitter
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
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