On January 18, 2021, he was signed as a free agent by his local team, the New York Yankees, and given the chance to start over. He had been working as a substitute teacher to make ends meet.
He excelled in 14 games out of the bullpen for the Somerset Patriots in AA, going 4-0, 0.47 with 2 saves and 30 strikeouts in 19 innings after impressing in spring training and being passed up several levels.
Due to his outstanding pitching, he was promoted to AAA and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Together with Reggie McClain and Luis Gil, he no-hit the Rochester Red Wings 8-0 on July 21.
He was brought up to the Bronx two weeks later, on August 3, when the Yankees had to put a number of pitchers on the COVID-19 list. In place of Gerrit Cole, his teammate from Somerset and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Gil, started the game against the Baltimore Orioles.
After he had pitched six innings without allowing a run, Stephen took over and struck out the side while allowing just one hit in the seventh as the Yankees went on to easily win, 13-1. He was the first Haverford College alumnus to make it to the major leagues.
How Tall Is Stephen Ridings?
Stephen Ridings stands at a height of 2.03 m. Stephen is one of the tallest players in the MLB.