ST. PETERSBURG – Recently Yarbrough took the mound at Tropicana Field, entering in the second inning as the bulk reliever, a role he essentially pioneered in 2018. But taking that mound to face the Rays? Now, that was a first for the Blue Jays’ left-hander.
“Very strange,” Yarbrough said. “A lot of adrenaline, being able to see everybody again.” Battling some nerves, Yarbrough baffled his former mates through four innings in Toronto’s 4-3 loss to Tampa Bay. Yarbrough made his MLB debut at the Trop in 2018 and pitched in 135 games with the Rays over the next five seasons, playoffs included. During Yarbrough’s rookie year, the Rays began experimenting with using a reliever for short starts consistently. We all know what “openers” are now, but six years ago, that tactic was basically unheard of. It was often Yarbrough’s job to follow that opener by throwing multiple innings, thereby creating the “bulk reliever” term that was prominent around the game recently.
Source: https://www.mlb.com/bluejays/