Yankees' Aaron Boone Talks Pulling Clarke Schmidt amid No-Hitter, 'I Knew He Was Done'

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone says he knew as early as the fifth inning of Clarke Schmidt's Saturday no-hitter that he would be pulling the pitcher before the end of the game.

After a 21-pitch seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles, Schmidt came off the mound at Yankee Stadium to find Boone waiting to tell him his day was over.

"I knew he was done," Boone told reporters.

Schmidt left the game having tied a career high with 103 pitches through seven no-hit innings.

JT Brubaker ultimately stepped up to make his Yankees debut by closing out a 9-0 win over the Orioles.

When asked how badly Schmidt wanted to get back on the mound for the eighth inning, Boone laughed and said, "He was done."

Boone continued, "As great as he was today, I think physically, all day, it was a little bit of a challenge for him. So I kind of knew, even after the fifth, it wasn't going to be long. I think he's looking forward to that six-day turn on this one."

When asked what he would say to people who asked why he wouldn't let Schmidt pitch until he gave up a hit, Boone answered, "Clarke wasn't in a position to do that today. That's all I would say to that."

Schmidt meanwhile said after the game that he understood Boone's decision had been about the "bigger picture" of his season-long health.

"Obviously I want to go as deep as I can, but when you're at the 103 mark, and you have two more innings to go, and you have 80 more games to go, you've got to think bigger picture here," Schmidt said.

Schmidt's ERA dropped to 2.84 on the season after Saturday's no-hitter. Boone described him after the win as "one of the more underrated starting pitchers in the game."

Given the injuries that have kept Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil from the rotation this season, Schmidt's consistency has been part of the reason the Yankees sit atop the AL East with a 44-32 record.

Keeping Schmidt healthy down the stretch and into the fall will be key for Boone's hopes of leading his club on a postseason run.