Batting Cleanup: History in Arlington
The party was on in Arlington on Wednesday night as Corey Kluber threw the first no-hitter of his career (Kevin Jairaj / USA Today Sports)
Game 1: Yankees Lose 5-2
It looked good early, but then it all came crashing down. Gerrit Cole had one of his worst starts as a Yankee, and the bats were awfully quiet. At least Albert Abreu and Luke Voit were good.
It’s Only DJ If It Comes From The LeMahieu Region of France, Otherwise It’sJust Sparkling Second Baseman
DJ got the Yankees off to a hot start in the first inning, leading off the game with a single through the left side. Luke Voit followed with a single through the left side. After Judge struck out, Gio Urshela hit a single through the left side (are you noticing a theme?) to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. Gary Sanchez came up and did his best to hit a single through the left side, but his hard ground ball ended up in Charlie Culberson’s glove, starting a 5-4-3 double play.
It Was Time To Ask If Gerrit Cole Is The Greatest Pitcher of All Time
Gerrit Cole struck out the side in the first inning, which is a very Gerrit Cole thing to do. In doing so, Gerrit Cole set the record for most strikeouts in between walks with 59. It’s hard to put in context how good that is. I mean, sure, one way is to say that nobody except Gerrit Cole has ever done that before… but it’s more than that. Gerrit Cole has reached the insane level of dominance at which we become accustomed to it. Do you expect to see Gerrit Cole walking people? I know I don’t. That’s the craziest part.
It Stopped Being That Time
In the second inning, the Rangers started ripping the ball. Adolis Garcia hit a home run to right field (did anyone tell you to worry about Adolis Garcia?). David Dahl followed that up with a double, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa doubled in Dahl. Gerrit Cole giving up back-to-back-to-back (and belly-to-belly-to-belly) two-strike, extra base hits was certainly not on my bingo card for Monday.
The streak ended at 61 batters when Cole walked Joey Gallo in the third inning.
Cole seemed to settle in for a time, but Willie Calhoun launched a ball over the wall in center field to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning. It was another extra base hit with two strikes, and felt a lot like a backbreaker.
Cole escaped the fifth by getting Joey Gallo to hit into a double play, but that was hit for him.
He came back out for the sixth, despite the fact that Albert Abreu had been warming up in the fifth.
Final line on Cole was 5+ IP, 7 H, 5 R (4 ER), 7 K, 2 BB. Regression was inevitable, but man did this one hurt. It was his first start this year in which he allowed more than 3 runs. It was his first start this year in which he did not complete 6 innings. The 7 hits he allowed were the second most in his career as a Yankee. It was only the fourth time in his career as a Yankee in which he gave up 4 runs or more.
Albert Abreu Played In This Game
Abreu came on for the sixth after Cole left the game, and he was typical Albert Abreu. He threw really hard, and made sure to walk a guy. The fifth run came across for Texas when Charlie Culberson stole second with runners on first and third, and Kyle Higashioka threw he ball into center field, allowing Adolis Garcia to score from third. I will leave this here. If you know, you know.
There are so many things that Kyle Higashioka has done in this game that people would demand Gary's head on a stick for.
— Yankees Files (@YankeesFiles) May 18, 2021
We were lucky enough to see Albert Abreu pitch the seventh inning as well, and he provided what I have to believe is the most drama-free Albert Abreu inning of all time. He faced the top of the Texas order and got Willie Calhoun to pop up before striking out Nick Solak and Nate Lowe.
Oh my gosh I could not be more pleased that we got Albert Abreu to pitch the eighth too (I have no idea what this bit is). He notched a couple more strikeouts in his third inning of work. Funnily enough, Albert Abreu looked better than Gerrit Cole.
I Said Jordan Lyles Would Be Awful So Of Course He Was Great
Jordan Lyles came into Monday’s game with a career ERA of 5.27 and a season ERA of 6.63. After allowing 3 hits in the first inning, he only allowed 3 hits in the next 4 innings, two of those by Brett Gardner. It is amazing to me that the Yankees could not figure this guy out.
Final line for Lyles was 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 6 K, 1 BB. The Yankees should be embarrassed that they were so incompetent against a pitcher who is as bad as Lyles. His season ERA went down from 6.63 to 5.93 in this game alone. Just awful.
The Yankees will not get very far making pitchers who are mediocre (or in Lyles’s case, truly awful) look this good. The offense needs to figure some stuff out. This game was pretty painful to watch.
At Least Luke Voit Hit A Homer
It was nice, take a look.
Game 2: Yankees Win 7-4
How badly did the Yankees need this? They put out a pretty bad lineup (it had Mike Ford AND Ryan Lamarre and left Luke Voit out), Jameson Taillon had a rough outing, but they were able to produce enough offense to come back from down 3-0 and take the second game of the series.
They Did The Thing Where They Make a Bad Pitcher Look Great Again
In each of the first two innings, the Yankees put a runner on base. Brett Gardner had a nice opposite field single in the first inning, and Aaron Judge promptly erased him with a double play. In the second, Rougned Odor (playing a revenge game) singled to right field but was stranded when Gary struck out and Miggy popped out. Folty worked a 1-2-3 third inning, but it was mostly against Mike Ford and Ryan Lamarre so it is tough to say if it counted or not.
Then They Made Him Look Bad
In the third inning, Judge singled with one out, and Gio doubled him home after working a great at-bat. Working a 9-pitch AB and then dirving in a run is #JustGioThings
And it got a lot more fun after this too! With the Yankees down 3-1 with two outs, Gary doubled in Urshela because it’s not gonna stop being #HotGarySummer, and then LL Cool M (Ladies Love Cool Miguel) plated Gary with a single of his own to tie the game.
Mike Ford came up with Miggy on first and ripped a ball that he was certain was gone (I think Miggy was too), and came away with a single, giving the Yankees runners on first and third. Folty’s outing ended when he walked Ryan Lamarre to load the bases and Chris Woodward did not allow him to face David John LeMahieu. Check out the run-scoring hits off Folty (and one off of Kolby Allard that resulted in runs charged to Folty).
Once it was all said and done, the Yankees batted around and were up 5-3. They had an offensive outburst that, against all odds, did not include a home run, and featured the 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 1 hitters all getting hits or walking. Not bad.
Folty’s final line was 3.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 1 K, 1 BB. Thank you, the Yankees, for not making him look like Cy Young Foltynewicz.
Check Out This Cool Double Play
Jameson Taillon allowed a single in the second inning, and then Rougned Odor (playing a revenge game) and Gio Urshela decided that it was time for the Rangers not to be playing offense anymore, which was nice.
It Went Downhill After That
With a runner on second and two outs in the bottom of the third, Gary appeared to throw out Jonah Heim on a snap throw to second base to end the inning. After the call was overturned, Nick Solak singled to score Heim and give the Rangers a 1-0 lead. Taillon then walked Nate Lowe and Joey Gallo before Adolis Garcia (did anyone tell you to watch out for him?) singled past a diving Gio Urshela to plate two more runs for the Rangers.
The overturned pickoff was particularly tough for Taillon, as it ultimately extended the inning by more than 20 pitches, but Jamo needed to be more effective at getting guys out. After recording the second out of the inning, he allowed single, walk, walk, single before striking out Dahl. That won’t do.
Signs of Life
The first time through the order, Jamo was pretty good, allowing only two hits. He also had a nice bounce back inning in the fourth when he induced two softly hit balls before striking out Jonah Heim to finish it off.
Signs of Death
Taillon came out for the fifth inning and recorded an out before Nick Solak took him deep to right field to end his day and take a run out of the lead the Yankees had built.
Ultimately it was another disappointing road start for Taillon that could have been a lot better. 4.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 3 K. Didn’t do very much of the stuff we like to see (striking guys out) but really was not far off of going 5 IP with 3 R or fewer. Not as unlucky as some of his prior starts, but pretty bad.
Do You Wandy Build a Successful Reliever?
Wandy Peralta relieved Jameson Taillon, and bounced back from a tough day in Baltimore with a good outing. He allowed a walk in a scoreless inning.
Obligatory Who Want Lasagna?
Jonathan Loaisiga came in and finished off the sixth after Peralta was removed. No blemishes on Loaisiga’s line, as he pitched 1.2 scoreless innings with one strikeout.
Green Day
Chad green came on for the eighth inning with the Yankees ahead 6-4 and worked a scoreless inning despite Nate Lowe and Adolis Garcia providing tough at-bats.
Purchasing Some Insurance
In the top of the ninth, Gardner walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch. A single from Judge moved him to third, and he scored when Gio chopped a ball to third that resulted in a fielder’s choice.
ARolex Chapman
He wasn’t cheap, and we can always count on him.
Chapman struck out Charlie Culberson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa before Andy Ibanez doubled into left field. The Rangers sent Khris Davis to the plate with two outs and Chapman struck him out too, because of course he did. Chapman got his 10th save in 10 attempts with this 103 MPH pitch, and his FIP stayed negative.
Notes
This game was the fourth time this year that the Yankees recorded at least 13 hits
They tied their season high in runs allowed in a win with 4. I was kind of hoping they’d give up a run in the ninth so we could all stop with the nonsense about the Yankees not winning a game in which they’ve allowed 5+ runs, but I am all about untouchable Chapman
Game 3: Yankees Win 2-0 COREY KLUBER NO-HITTER
The Yankees followed up the Rougned Odor Revenge Game with the Corey Kluber Revenge Game (AKA the Rougned Odor Fatherhood Game), and boy did he get himself some revenge. Wow. Corey Kluber threw the first no-hitter by a Yankee since 1999, with an absolutely incredible performance, let’s relive it.
Klüb Goin’ Up On A Wednesday
Corey Kluber faced his former team (for whom he pitched 1 inning) on Wednesday, and looked sharp early. He worked two, very quick, perfect innings and got Isiah Kiner-Falefa to line out to right to start the third before walking Charlie Culberson to give the Rangers their first (and we didn’t know it at the time, but also their last) baserunner of the game. Klubot got Jose Trevino and Willie Calhoun to end the third, and then worked a 1-2-3 fourth. He worked a 1-2-3 fifth as well.
When Kluber worked a 1-2-3 sixth, we got into “call your friends and neighbors” territory. I won’t say why, because I’m writing this in real-time (and Michael Kay wouldn’t say either), but we were there. That’s what you need to know. “Call your friends and neighbors” time extended into the seventh, as Kluber continued to work an absolutely masterful game.
I got very nervous in the eighth. Isiah Kiner-Falefa drove a ball to right field with two outs, but Tyler Wade tracked it down easily to end the inning. 3 to go.
In the ninth, I was even more nervous. Charlie Culberson hit a sinking line drive at DJ LeMahieu, who fielded the short hop expertly and flipped to Luke Voit for the first out. 2 to go.
The Rangers sent David Dahl, a lefty, to the plate in the place of Jose Trevino with one out. This may have been a weird move, because righties actually hit significantly better off Kluber (.827 OPS for righties versus .560 for lefties) this year, but maybe Jose Trevino, whose career OPS+ is 69 (nice) is just that bad. Anyway, Dahl flipped a ball into right field that looked like a sure hit to me off the bat. Tyler Wade got a nice jump to get under it and recorded the second out of the inning. 1 to go.
It all came down to Corey Kluber against Willie Calhoun. In the first two games of the series, Calhoun was slashing .375/.375/1.000 with 2 doubles and a homer. Kluber shut him down in this one (duh), retiring him in each of his first three at-bats, and striking him out once. This, of course, was not like those at-bats, as if Kluber were to get Calhoun, he would seal the no-hitter. Kluber threw him two pitches, a curveball that just nipped the corner of the plate for a called strike, and then a cutter down in the zone that Calhoun hit on the ground to Gleyber Torres. Let’s see how it wrapped up.
With that, it was over. Corey Kluber cemented himself in Yankees history by throwing the franchise’s 11th no-hitter (in the regular season, shoutout Don Larsen), and first since David Cone threw a perfect game in 1999.
Corey Kluber’s game score in this one was 95. That is the highest game score by any Yankee since September of 2001, when Mike Mussina retired the first 26 batters he saw before allowing a hit to Carl Everett (game score of 98). Fun fact: Moose pitched a 3-hit complete game against Baltimore just 26 days after his near-perfect game, and that game has the third highest game score of any start by a Yankee in the 21st century. Not so bad.
There’s very little to say about this, really. There was not much drama. There was no sparkling defensive play that saved the game. Kluber just went out and dominated. He threw 4 straight balls to Nate Lowe in the third inning, and then got 20 guys out in a row. What an incredible performance.
Here are all 27 of the outs that Kluber recorded. As John Sterling would say: 28 up, 27 down, baseball immortality.
For the sake of completeness, Kluber’s final line was 9.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 9 K, 1 BB. That feels good to write.
This Headline Was Going to be “Cy Yang” but then Corey Kluber… Well… You Know…
This is Hyeon-jong Yang’s Baseball Savant page.
You’d think the Yankees would destroy him, right? Because he sucks? Well that’s where you’d be wrong. Yang erased two of the first three runners the Yankees put on base with double plays (maybe hit the ball in the air, guys?) and retired 8 batters in a row after giving up a single to Gleyber Torres in the second inning. That single was the second hit the Yankees got, and they did not get another until Gleyber walked to lead off the fifth. You’ll never believe this, but Andújar hit into a double play immediately after, meaning that to that point, Yang had erased 3 runners the Yankees put on base, and stranded the fourth. Gross.
Through 5 innings, Yang did not allow a run on 2 H and 2 BB. In the sixth, he got only one out (a DJLM sac fly) but allowed 1 H, 2 BB, and 2 R.
Yang’s final line was 5.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 K, 4 BB.
Situational Hitting and Productive Outs: The Hallmarks of the 2021 Yankees
The Yankees finally broke through against Yang in the sixth. Kyle “plate discipline” Higashioka walked, and then Tyler Wade, in a clear bunt situation, TRIPLED INTO THE GAP IN RIGHT CENTER to score him. You can’t figure baseball.
With wade on third, DJ “the guy you want up with RISP” LeMahieu came to the plate and hit a sac fly to left field to put the Yankees up 2-0. They scored some important runs in unconventional ways (for them) in the second and third games of this series, but it was kind of fun. Check out the runs!
This Game Was Historic In Many Ways
The Yankees hit into 5 double plays in a 9-inning game for the 6th time in franchise history, and it was their first time hitting into 5 or more in a game since 2011. They are now 4-3 when they hit into 5+ double plays in a 9-inning game. With those 5 double plays, they are now on pace to hit into more double plays than any team… ever.
Game 4: Yankees Win 2-0
Oh the Yankees won another series? How weird! Dane Dunning pitched well, but Domingo Germán was even better, and the bats did just enough to seal it.
And the Dane Keeps Dunning, Dunning, and Dunning, Dunning….
Let’s get it started in here (I’m not sorry about this headline, I honestly feel like it was a stroke of genius)!
Dane Dunning, the one competent pitcher the Rangers started in this series, took the mound on Thursday afternoon to try to make sure the Yankees’ bats stayed cool. In the first, they did. Dunning induced two groundouts that sandwich a strikeout of Brett Gardner. Maybe Corey Kluber’s no-hitter inspired him.
Whatever inspiration Dunning got from Kluber ran out in the second inning when he gave up a one-out single to Gleyber Torres. There’s no shame in it, as Gleyber has done nothing but hit in his last 2 games since coming off the COVID IL, but it meant we would not see a no-hitter to follow up Kluber’s.
One thing that was not lost on Dane Dunning from last night was all the double plays the Yankees like to hit into. Despite notching 4 hits against Dunning in the first 4 innings, the Yankees managed to ground into two double plays (including this particularly bad one).
Great base running, Mike Ford. Glad to have you around.
Dunning really was great today. He went six shutout innings, and allowed just 4 H and 1 BB while striking out 6. Hard to beat that.
King of Anything (But Not Mike)
Once Dunning left the game, and John King came in, the Yankees started to cook. He hit Rougie Odor, his first batter, and then got Gleyber Torres to ground out, but Rougie advanced on the play. Gary came up and ripped a single to left to move Rougie to third, and then Gio came up and poked a pinch-hit single to right that scored him.
After Andújar struck out, Judge knocked a pinch-hit single of his own into center field to score Sanchez and put the Yankees up 2-0. Check out the run-scoring hits.
Jueves, But May As Well Have Been Domingo
Domingo Germán, in a truly mediocre performance, gave up a hit in the first inning! I mean come on. Did you see Corey Kluber last night? He didn’t give up a hit in the whole game. Amateur hour from Domingo.
Realistically though, Germán showed us a lot that we should like in a sparkling performance. He got into trouble more than once, putting a runner on base in the first, second, and third innings. He worked out of all of those situations unscathed, so he upped the ante in the fourth.
To lead of the fourth, Joey Gallo and Adolis Garcia both singled to the opposite field, setting the Rangers up handsomely with runners on first and second and nobody out. This is where the teams electing not to hit with runners in scoring position comes in. The next two Rangers who came to the plate generously gave Domingo a strikeout and a double play to escape the inning without allowing a run. Good stuff.
In the fifth, as had become tradition, Domingo allowed Jonah Heim to reach, but got Willie Calhoun to line out to Brett Gardner and then got some help from DJ LeMahieu to turn out tough ground ball from Nick Solak into an inning-ending fielder’s choice.
Germán threw a beautiful sixth inning, in which he faced the heart of the order (Lowe, Gallo, Garcia), and handled them deftly, getting a weak ground ball from Lowe and striking out Gallo and Garcia.
He worked a perfect seventh, and probably could’ve pitched the 8th, but Chad and Chapman were ready and rested. The final line for Domingo was 7.0 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 6 K, 0 BB. May not be anything special after a no-hitter, but that’s a phenomenal performance. The Yankees are 6-0 when he starts since his return from the alternate site. Not bad!
Bullpen Boys
Chad and Chapman nailed it down in the 8th and 9th, allowing just a walk between the two of them, and the Yankees moved to 25-19 on the season, their high water mark. No word yet on if the walk Chapman issued moved his FIP above 0.
Parting Shots
Who doesn’t love a 7-3 road trip capped off with a no-hitter and three-game winning streak? I know I do. The Yankees are playing great baseball (112-60 pace over their last 29 games) and are only 1 game out of first place (the Red Sox will play tonight).
Whipple will have the preview of the White Sox series for you tomorrow.
Let’s go Yankees.
