Yankees pitcher Will Warren relives "surreal" battle against Mike Trout

The New York Yankees were struck by injury blows to their rotation at the start of the season after starters Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil's injuries. Rookie starting pitcher Will Warren has stepped up in their absence.

While Will Warren was shaky at the start of his rookie season, the 26-year-old has been solid in his last few games, providing a big boost to the pitching staff with Ryan Yarbrough's latest setback.

The young ace faced one of his biggest challenges of his MLB career as he faced three-time MVP Mike Trout in the series opener against the Los Angeles Angels last week. When asked about facing Trout at Fanatics Fest on Sunday, Warren said on the "Talkin' Yanks" podcast (15:00 onwards):

"Yeah, Trout, that whole at bat, I think looking back after the game ended was kind of surreal. I mean, I think when I was little, Trout's the greatest baseball player ever, that's what I thought. And you know, to pitch against him was just kind of a dream come true. I mean, it was crazy to think about."

Will Warren was a bit shaky in his start against the Angels as he conceded three earned runs in his first three innings. However, the rookie settled in nicely, striking out 11 hitters in six innings and conceding three earned runs.

Will Warren recalls facing "tough" Dodgers lineup featuring Shohei Ohtani

Will Warren's start against the Angels was one of the best of his rookie season, however, he also reflected on his nightmare outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"That Dodgers lineup is tough, man," Warren said. "Definitely Shohei Ohtani to Freddie Freeman to Teoscar Hernandez and Mookie Betts wasn't in there.

Warren was taken for seven runs in just 1.1 innings in his first start against the defending World Series winners. However, the rookie ace has seemingly recovered from the harrowing start and hopes to aid the Yankees' pursuit of a division title.

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash