They say you can only make a first impression once, and former Yankees pitcher Camilo Doval may like another chance at his.
The new Pirates reliever found himself in a tough spot on Sunday in his first appearance with his new team after being traded by the Bronx Bombers, giving up a home run to Reds player Tyler Stephenson in the bottom of the eighth inning of what would be a 10-2 Pittsburgh loss.
Doval was behind in the count, 3-1, when his sixth pitch of the appearance was taken into the stands in right field by Stephenson, giving the Reds their 10th run of the day.
Doval was traded by the Yankees when things didn’t go as planned in The Bronx after he was acquired at the 2025 trade deadline. He fell down the pecking order in the Yankees bullpen and this season he posted a 4.54 ERA in 44 appearances in pinstripes.
The reliever had a drastic difference in his appearances at Yankee Stadium and road appearances. In The Bronx, his ERA was 7.08 and away from it, he had a 1.86 ERA.
“I see no difference pitching in PNC Park or Yankee Stadium,” Doval said, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “It’s the same. I have to do the same job. In my opinion, it’s just a mental thing. You just have to prepare yourself to pitch anywhere at any time in the big leagues.”
However, it didn’t appear in his first appearance in a Pirates uniform that being out of Yankee Stadium made much difference in this instance.
Pirates manager Don Kelly did seem happy with what he saw out of Doval despite the home run he gave up. It was the only hit he allowed in the inning.
“Good stuff. First time coming out, I know Stephenson got him there, but I thought the stuff looked good, and we’re excited to have him in the back of the ‘pen,” Kelly said, according to MLB.com.
