Former Gamecock Clarke Schmidt ready for his World Series moment with Yankees
Former South Carolina pitcher Clarke Schmidt will get his World Series moment on Monday.
The Yankees previously announced Schmidt will be the starting pitcher for Game 3 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. New York will need a big outing from Schmidt after dropping the first two games of the World Series.
Los Angeles defeated New York, 4-2, on Saturday, a day after its dramatic win in Game 1. In best-of-seven postseason series, teams taking a 2-0 lead have gone on to win the series 77 of 92 times
“Obviously, it is a dream come true,” Schmidt told reporters on Saturday. “Being able to pitch the first game at home and in a pivotal game, I always have dreamed of stuff like this. It has been better than my dreams so far. ... I’m trying to do my best to take it all in and be as present as I possibly can. There probably will be a time of reflection when this is over but I am focused on my job.”
This will be Schmidt’s third start in the postseason for New York. Schmidt got a pair of no-decisions against Kansas City in the Divisional series and against Cleveland in the American League Championship Series.
Schmidt went 4 2/3innings in each of this year’s postseason starts.
The former Gamecock is in his fifth season with the Yankees and went 5-5 with a 2.85 ERA in 16 regular-season starts. He has 93 strikeouts in 85 1/3 innings this year.
Schmidt missed almost four months this season with a strained right lat and a complete tear of his ulnar collateral ligament. He was placed on the 60-day disabled list on May 27 and didn’t make his next start until Sept. 7.
Schmidt was selected No. 16 overall coming out of South Carolina in the 2017 MLB Draft. He was 4-2 with a 1.34 ERA in nine starts, and opponents hit .194 against him, during his final season at South Carolina. He missed the second half of that season after having Tommy John surgery.
This story was originally published October 26, 2024 at 5:29 PM.
