into the frying pan

Will Warren’s postseason debut could not have started much worse. The Jackson Prep product came on for the New York Yankees in a tough spot Sunday, his team trailing by five runs with no outs and two runners on in the fourth inning. Warren walked the first batter he faced, gave up a grand slam to the third, a single to the fourth and a homer to the fifth. Ouch. Toronto was well on its way to a 13-7 win at Rogers Centre and a 2-0 lead in the American League Division Series. Yankees starter Max Fried was charged with seven of those runs and took the loss. Warren, to his everlasting credit, battled into the eighth inning, allowing two more homers and six runs all told. During the regular season, over 162 1/3 innings, Warren had a 4.44 ERA and allowed just 1.22 homers per nine innings. He made 33 appearances during the season, all as a starter. “I worked my best to treat it like a start,” he said in a postgame interview. “You get ready the same way. … I got to come in and get us out of that.” With the Yankees heading back to New York one loss from elimination, Warren may not get another opportunity in this series. He’d surely like one.