'A dream come true': Former South Carolina ace to make first postseason start
Clarke Schmidt has become one of the most consistent pitchers in all of Major League Baseball. The former South Carolina baseball star has allowed more than 3 runs in just 3 of his last 39 starts (and given up 1 run or fewer in 15 of those 39 starts), and the New York Yankees have rewarded the right-hander by naming him their starter heading into game 3 of their American League Divisional Series matchup against the Kansas City Royals.
Ahead of his Wednesday appearance, Schmidt has never started a game in the MLB Postseason. Unsurprisingly, he told Meredith Marakovitz of the YES Network that this opportunity is “a dream come true.” It will be Schmidt’s first playoff chance since he made three relief appearances in the 2022 postseason.
Schmidt hasn’t faced the Royals at all this season. Last year against Kansas City, he went 1-0 across two starts.
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Despite missing more than three months with a lat injury, Schmidt made 16 total starts during the 2024 regular season. In those games, he posted a 2.85 ERA, 1.184 WHIP, and 9.8 K/9. With one fewer start, his stat line was slightly better than Yankees star Gerrit Cole, the 2023 Cy Young winner.
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2024 was just Schmidt’s second season as a full-time Major Leaguer, though, he did make three appearances in the Minors this year as part of his injury rehab. He will receive a nice pay increase this offseason as he heads into arbitration for a second time.
South Carolina baseball fans who want to tune in to watch Schmidt’s start against the Royals can watch Wednesday’s game on TBS or the TBS app at 7:00. The winner of the Yankees-Royals series will face the winner of the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians with a trip to the World Series on the line.
