not to be overlooked
The three-homer game by Jasson Dominguez — the rookie outfielder they call “The Martian” — deserved the spotlight, but don’t overlook what the rookie right-hander out of Jackson Prep did for the New York Yankees on Friday. Will Warren had a career night in his 14th MLB game, throwing 7 1/3 innings in a 10-2 win over the A’s at West Sacramento, Calif. Warren, now 2-2 with a 4.75 ERA in eight starts this season, retired the first 10 batters before yielding a walk and a hit — by Mississippi State alum Brent Rooker — in the fourth inning. He allowed just three more hits and a lone run while striking out seven. “It’s just executing every pitch, and tonight we did that,” the 25-year-old Warren said in a postgame TV interview. Warren, drafted out of Southeastern Louisiana in 2021, wasn’t even assured of a role on the Yankees’ staff back in spring training. But injuries opened up spots in the rotation, and Warren grabbed one. It hasn’t been smooth sailing: In four of his eight starts he has lasted less than five innings. But Friday’s outing against a tough lineup was certainly encouraging. “I thought he had a lot of weapons,” Yanks manager Aaron Boone said in a TV interview. “He was really good, man. … I feel like the last few times I’ve really seen the electricity with his stuff.” P.S. Down on the farm, former Jackson Prep star Konnor Griffin went 4-for-4 with a home run for Low-Class A Bradenton. Pittsburgh’s No. 2-rated prospect — the ninth overall pick in the 2024 draft — is batting .283 with six homers, 17 RBIs and 12 steals in 27 games.