Lance Lynn Retires 19 Straight in Win vs. White Sox in 1st Start with Yankees

New York Yankees pitcher Lance Lynn couldn't have envisioned a better way to start his time in the Big Apple.

Lynn went 7.1 innings in a 7-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Monday, striking out nine and allowing just two hits. According to ESPN Stats & Info, the right-hander is one of five Yankees starters since 1990 to throw seven scoreless innings in his first start for the team.

After allowing an infield single to Daniel Palka in the first inning, Lynn sat down 19 batters in order:

Lynn's excellent start came after he pitched 4.1 scoreless innings in relief of Sonny Gray in the Yankees' 7-5 defeat to the Baltimore Orioles on Aug. 1.

The team subsequently demoted Gray to the bullpen, which moved Lynn into the starting rotation.

New York left some fans scratching their heads when it acquired Lynn from the Minnesota Twins. The 31-year-old had a 5.10 ERA in 20 starts for the Minnesota Twins and generally didn't look like the same pitcher since undergoing Tommy John surgery in November 2015.

Of course, it's important to keep Monday's start in perspective. The White Sox are fourth in the American League Central (41-71) and rank 23rd in weighted on-base average (.308), per FanGraphs. Chicago is one of MLB's worst teams and owns a bottom-half offense.

Still, the starting rotation is the Yankees' biggest weakness. Fans can be forgiven if they're ready to jump aboard the Lynn bandwagon in the hope he can solve the problem.