Sears gives Yanks another scoreless gem in spot start

NEW YORK -- It was a sun-splashed morning in late March as the Yankees held a closed-door meeting with the four dozen or so players still in camp, reinforcing that the year is long and there would be opportunities for all to contribute this season. JP Sears was listening.

Inserted into the rotation for his second spot start of the year, Sears has been among a group of impressive young pitchers summoned to help the Yankees build upon their Major League-best record. The lefty dazzled over 5 2/3 scoreless innings, walking off to a standing ovation during New York’s 2-1 victory over the A’s on Tuesday night.

“I’m just going to show up every time my name is called, fill up the zone and do my best to compete out there,” Sears said. “I let myself take it in the first couple of minutes I stepped on the field to warm up, just enjoying that part of it. After that, it’s the plate, the catcher, the hitter and the umpire out there.”

Making his fourth appearance and second start in the Majors, the 26-year-old Sears wedged into the rotation to provide extra rest as the Bombers grind through a stretch of playing 20 straight days without an off-day, pushing Jameson Taillon, Luis Severino and Gerrit Cole back by about 24 hours each.

Sears did the job and then some, limiting Oakland to three hits in a 78-pitch effort as the Yankees withstood a ninth-inning rally (sparked by a two-out catcher’s interference error) to improve to a season-high 35 games over .500 (55-20).

Rated as the club’s No. 23 prospect by MLB Pipeline, Sears became just the third pitcher in franchise history to toss at least five scoreless innings in his first two big league starts, joining Slow Joe Doyle (1906) and Luis Gil (2021).

“He was unbelievable. He’s a special guy,” said Marwin Gonzalez, who hit a second-inning homer. “Every time he’s out there and gets the call, he’s been awesome for us. When you have a guy like this in Triple-A and you’re confident that he’s going to perform well, it’s great for us.”

Jose Trevino also doubled in a first-inning run to support Sears, who was optioned back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after the victory. That shuttle to Northeast Pennsylvania has already proven valuable this season, and pitching coach Matt Blake believes they will need to rely upon their depth more in July and August.

“Every guy that comes up here is ready to perform,” Blake said. “They understand what the expectations are; they know who they are. The catchers have done a good job calling games to help them. So far, so good. Hopefully we can keep it going.”

While Sears toiled in The Bronx, the organization kept one eye on a pair of hurlers down in the Minors, with Aroldis Chapman and Domingo Germán tossing for the club’s top two farm affiliates. Chapman fired a scoreless inning at Triple-A and is set to be activated as soon as Thursday, while Germán navigated 3 1/3 scoreless frames for Double-A Somerset.

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Then, of course, there are the potential upgrades or reinforcements from outside the organization. One popular target happened to be on the mound for Oakland on Tuesday; right-hander Frankie Montas settled in after Gonzalez’s homer, limiting New York to two runs over six innings in what could have been a trade audition.

The last-place A’s have lost 12 of Montas’ last 13 starts, despite their best starter pitching to a 3.10 ERA over that span. Asked about the possibility of being moved before the Aug. 2 Trade Deadline, Montas said: “I try to block [it out]. I just pitch and be me. I try to help the team as much as I can. I’m an Oakland A right now. I have to do my job here.”

That, too, has been the motto for the Yanks’ young arms this year. New York manager Aaron Boone rattled off the names of Sears, right-hander Ron Marinaccio and right-hander Clarke Schmidt among those who have provided valuable depth. As the manager predicted that day at camp in Tampa, Fla., there have been opportunities for all to contribute. Most have answered the call with aplomb.

“There’s an expectation they have within themselves that you can’t manufacture,” Boone said. “Like, JP is a really nice kid, an understated and smart kid -- but he’s tough. He’s got an edge to him and expects to do that when he goes out there. He’s come up here every turn he’s got and delivered.”