The Yankees have re-signed pitching coach Matt Blake to a three-year contract, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
Blake was originally hired as the Yankees’ pitching coach in November 2019, when the Yankees dismissed previous pitching coach Larry Rotschild and hired Blake from Cleveland (now the Guardians), where he was a pitching coordinator and had just been promoted to Cleveland’s Director of Pitching Development two days before the Yankees hired him, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.
Blake’s Success As Yankees Pitching Coach
The Yankees have had a lot of pitching success since Blake was hired. In 2026, the Yankees led Major League Baseball in team ERA during the regular season (3.23), and in five postseason games, the pitching staff compiled a team ERA of 1.88. Blake deserves credit in 2026 for the emergence of Cam Schlittler as the perennial AL CY Young favorite, in which he posted the lowest ERA in a single season for a Yankees starting pitcher (1.95) since Ron Guidry’s 1978 season, when he recorded a 1.74 ERA.
The Yankees also saw growth and development in other starters, such as Will Warren, who improved in 2026 compared to 2025. Warren lowered his season ERA below 4 (3.92) and pitched meaningful innings, making 32 starts and logging 156 innings, covering crucial outings when the Yankees dealt with a handful of pitching injuries and absences this year in the rotation from the likes of Gerrit Cole recovering from Tommy John Surgery, Carlos Rodon recovering from elbow issues (bone spur procedure), and Max Fried, who dealt with a bone bruise in his left elbow.
As for the Yankees bullpen, two names in particular rose to the occasion out of nowhere this year, and Matt Blake deserves some credit for that. Left-handed reliever Brent Headrick, a waiver-wire pickup from the Minnesota Twins in February 2025, posted a 2.18 ERA with 98 strikeouts in 78.1 innings pitched this year.
Yankees Bullpen Arms Who Surprised This Year
Former Mets castoff Paul Blackburn emerged as another high-leverage setup man in the Yankees bullpen, posting a 1.59 ERA with 69 strikeouts in 85 innings pitched this season. The Yankees also had closer David Bednar, who posted a 2.47 ERA this year with 76 strikeouts in 69.1 innings and recorded 35 saves as the team’s primary closer in 2026. The Yankees acquired Bednar midseason at the 2025 MLB trade deadline, where he had pitched in Pittsburgh since 2021.
The Yankees have had many reclamation-project pitchers and relievers that they turned into dominant arms during Blake’s tenure as pitching coach. Names include Fernando Cruz, Tim Hill, Clay Holmes, Jake Cousins, and Michael King, to name a few.
Watching the Yankees continue to find underlying value in relievers, along with the growth and development through the starting-pitching development pipeline, made this a no-brainer decision for the Yankees front office to retain Blake for the foreseeable future, and with this extension, at least the next three years.
Blake will look to build on his successful tenure as the Yankees pitching coach by finding and developing talented pitchers for the organization.
Yankees Bring Back Matt Blake On Three Year Deal: Heyman