CHICAGO — Had the Yankees given Jake Cousins some advance notice that he might be closing Tuesday’s win over the White Soxhe would have had plenty of time to sit and think about it.
Instead, the late message may have helped him secure his first career save to help the Yankees in a pinch.
On a night when Clay Holmes was unavailable because he threw 45 pitches Sunday and Tommy Kahnle ran into early trouble in the ninth trying for a four-out save, Aaron Boone called on Cousins to finish the job and the Illinois native was up to the task in a 4-1 win at Guaranteed Rate Field.
“I believe [bullpen coach Mike Harkey] — he knows what he’s doing down there, Cousins said. “Because the phone didn’t ring before he told me to go. I’m pretty sure they told him ahead of time and he just knew to save first, don’t let him sit with it. I appreciate that, because the adrenaline was definitely gone.”
That was especially the case with the cousins who had plenty of family and friends present after growing up 45 minutes outside of the city in St. Charles, Ill.
“It was great fun,” Cousins said. “Having lots of family here [week]to get the first save here, like at home, in front of my family, is really special.”
Cousins, who was acquired from the White Sox on March 31 for cash considerations, has carved out a valuable role in the bullpen with his swing-and-miss stuff.
The Yankees needed it more than ever Tuesday night after Kahnle put runners on second and third to start the bottom of the ninth.
Once the inning started, Harkey told Cousins to start warming up and soon he was in the game.
Cousins struck out Korey Lee for the first out before walking Miguel Vargas on four pitches to load the bases.
But he didn’t buckle under pressure and got a strikeout and another strikeout to end it.
“Just a good job, being in that situation, not straying from who he is and what he’s so good at,” Boone said. “Generated a lot of swing-and-miss with that slider again.”