Luis Gil’s season began with a demotion to Minor League camp some three weeks before Opening Day, only to be summoned back across the street when his services were needed in the starting rotation. It concluded on Monday with the right-hander being named the 2024 American League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year.

Gil totaled 106 points (15 first-place votes, 10 second-place votes and one third-place vote) to best two other finalists, Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser (101 total points) and Yankees batterymate Austin Wells (17 total points), as announced on MLB Network. The 26-year-old Gil is the first Yankee to win Rookie of the Year since Aaron Judge in 2017, and the first Yankees pitcher to bring home the award since Dave Righetti in 1981. He is the 10th Rookie of the Year in Yankees history, the most of any AL team.

• All-time Rookie of the Year Award winners

In 29 starts this season, Gil posted a 15-7 record with a 3.50 ERA. Across 151 2/3 innings, he permitted 104 hits and 77 walks while striking out 171, with the league managing a .189/.297/.345 slash line.

Gil led AL pitchers (min. 150 IP) in opponent batting average and was second in hits per nine innings (6.17). He was fourth in the AL for K/9 IP (10.15), sixth in opponent slugging and 10th in opponent OPS (.643). He also paced all AL rookies in wins and tied for the rookie lead in strikeouts.

“He’s had a great year, being a rookie starting pitcher for the Yankees and putting up what he did,” Wells said in September. “He’s been amazing, and to be able to be part of that success with him has been a lot of fun. He’s going to continue to be a big piece for us.”

Gil’s breakout began on March 11, when he was called back from Minor League camp as a fill-in for ace right-hander Gerrit Cole, who would travel to Los Angeles seeking opinions on his ailing pitching elbow. Gil embraced the opportunity to showcase his crackling arsenal that day in Clearwater, Fla., handcuffing the Phillies on one hit over 3 2/3 innings, striking out eight.

“I always go back to that outing in Clearwater,” manager Aaron Boone said, “where he was already sent down to Minor League camp and we brought him over. He just kind of overwhelmed the Phillies that day with his stuff, has taken it and not really stopped.”

Placed on his first Opening Day roster, Gil effectively filled the gap left by Cole's absence, proving to be further along that expected following a lengthy recovery from Tommy John surgery. In 14 starts until Cole rejoined the rotation on June 19, Gil was 9-1 with a 2.03 ERA, holding opponents to a razor-thin .142 batting average and .495 OPS.

Gil allowed three runs or fewer in 22 of 29 starts, two runs or fewer in 18 starts and one or zero runs in 17 starts. His 17 starts of one or zero runs tied the Tigers’ Tarik Skubal and Garrett Crochet of the White Sox for the most in the Majors. They were also the second most by a Major League pitcher since 1893, when the mound was moved to its current distance of 60 feet and six inches, according to the Elias Sports Bureau (Philadelphia’s George McQuillan had 21 in 1908).

“I’m definitely proud of the season that I was able to put together,” Gil said through an interpreter. “Health was a very important aspect of it. I was able to do that, to stay healthy and stay on the field. From Day One, really locking in on the days that I pitched [and] maturing as the season went on definitely is one of the reasons why I'm here where I am today.”

Gil made his Major League debut in 2021, when he logged a 3.07 ERA over six starts. His ’22 campaign was limited to one May start due to a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament. Gil had four outings of one hit with at least six innings (May 7 vs. Houston, May 23 vs. Seattle, June 4 vs. Minnesota and Sept. 6 at Cubs).

He was the AL’s Pitcher of the Month and Rookie of the Month in May, when he went 6-0 with a 0.70 ERA in six starts.

One of Gil’s season highlights came on May 18 against the White Sox, when he struck out a career-high 14 batters to surpass Orlando Hernández’s rookie franchise record of 13 (set Aug. 13, 1998 vs. Texas). Coincidentally, “El Duque” was in the building and posed for photographs with Gil on the mound, saying he saw a bright future ahead.

Late in the regular season, Gil was asked what winning the AL Rookie of the Year Award would represent.

“It would be a blessing, just understanding where I come from,” Gil said. “I come from a small town [Azua, Dominican Republic]. It would mean a lot to me, mean a lot for my people back home and for us as an organization.”

Wells finished third in AL MVP voting, receiving three second-place votes and eight third-place votes.