A simple truth in baseball is that the healthiest starting rotations are often the most effective. The logic is straightforward: The starter holds the ball more than anyone else on the field and thus controls the game.
The Yankees and the Mets, two teams going in different directions, provide a fitting case study of this truism and the lengths that certain teams will go to address it. Going into the Yankees’ 5-4 win on Tuesday, only three teams had relied on more starting pitchers this season than the Mets, who have used 12. The Yankees were a step behind with 11 starters.