The Yankees’ surprise – and now crucial – pitching decision was fairly unanimous

When Yankees brass met to finally settle a debate that seemed to last all season, the room was surprisingly devoid of … well, debate.

“There was a lot of agreement,” says one person involved.

It’s not that it was an easy call to pass over Luis Gil in favor of starting Clarke Schmidt in Game 3 of the American League Division Series. Gil has been far too effective this season for that. But the team ended up feeling that Schmidt was the clear choice.

Now the decision takes on exponential importance. The Yankees and Royals are tied 1-1 as the ALDS heads to Kansas City, and the Yanks are playing like a team at risk of the type of early exit that costs people their jobs, even if unfairly.

When the Yankees chose Schmidt, they didn’t know that it would be for the most important start of the season to date. But given their reasoning, they surely would have done the same regardless of where the series stood.

There are plenty of sound arguments for starting Gil and using Schmidt out of the bullpen. Gil was 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA this season and might win the American League Rookie of the Year Award. He has never pitched out of the bullpen. His most prominent bugaboo is occasional trouble throwing strikes — a concern if he finds himself entering in the middle of an inning (though Aaron Boone says he would prefer to avoid that).

In September, Boone and pitching coach Matt Blake said publicly that prior bullpen experience would be a factor in choosing a third starter in the division series. That led plenty of folks, present company included, to assume that Gil had the inside track to start.

But Schmidt is a smart, confident pitcher who competes at a high level and features a deep arsenal of pitches, even if none of them is as plus-plus as what one teammate calls Gil’s “$200 million fastball.”

“Clarke has the experience,” Boone said on Monday. “[But] he still hasn’t been down in the 'pen for a couple of years. He is a full-time starter, just like Luis. So I think it’s a little bit of an unknown there.”

Asked for the reasoning behind choosing Schmidt over Gil for the start, Boone said, “The best I can tell you, it feels like he’s the right guy for that game.”

According to the source in the meeting, Boone’s public framing summed it up. In crucial moments, there is no time to hedge or get cute. It comes down to the question of who you want to give the ball to.

As the source put it, the Yankees chose Schmidt because “Clarke is a stud.”

Because of off days, the team needed just three starters in this series. Gil could get a start if the team advances to the ALCS, Boone said — but that is a suddenly shaky proposition. The Yankees, always weighted down with angst and pressure, took on more water on Monday.

They didn’t play particularly well in Game 1 and won because of patient at-bats, a few borderline calls from the umpires, and an unwise send home of slow-footed catcher Salvador Perez. Their lack of athleticism has hurt them on the bases, and one of their most athletic players, Anthony Volpe, is suddenly making errors.

Game 2 was, er, hardly reassuring. Boone rightly noted that the team was still grinding out long at-bats, and just hadn’t broken through. He dismissed the notion that mounting pressure had impacted the offense.

Whatever the root causes of the loss, the Yankees must now start playing like the championship-caliber team that they are. It’s a crucial moment in a season that has felt especially important since the Juan Soto trade — and it's Clarke Schmidt’s game.