Batting Cleanup: Walk-Off Weekend Part II
Gleyber Day Weekend came early as the Yankees swept the White Sox (Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke)
The Yankees clinched their seventh straight series win this weekend versus the AL Central best Chicago White Sox and they did it with some memorable victories. This team is on a roll right now and is a far cry from the 5-10 start we all have tried to forget. Let’s dive into the recaps!
Game 1: Yankees Win 2-1
What an absolutely electric win this was. The Yankees emerged victorious from a hard fought battle with the White Sox, winning the game in the ninth inning 2-1. On Wednesday, we had a no hitter, but today, we had a boring old triple play. Yawn. Let’s get right to the recap of the Yankees’ third consecutive win while scoring two runs or less, the first time they’ve done that since 2009.
Triple Play!
The Yankees and Aroldis Chapman were in big trouble in the ninth inning. The White Sox had two batters reach base via walk and error, bringing outfielder Andrew Vaughn to the plate with no one out. It seemed like Chapman’s 0.00 ERA was in danger. And then….this happened.
A triple play! As John Sterling says, How do you like that! It was the Yankees first triple play since 2014 against Tampa, with CC Sabathia on the mound. (Somehow CC was on the mound for three Yankees triple plays in three years). That combination of players to turn the trick was Yangervis Solarte, Brian Roberts, and Scott Sizemore. 2014 was a dark time. The triple play immediately erased all the White Sox runners and the Yankees were fired up. It’s not often you get to see a triple play and it saved the game for New York. Additional fun fact: the last team to throw a no hitter and turn a triple play in the span of three or fewer days was the 1983 Cardinals.
Gleyber Day
Since Gleyber Torres has come off the COVID IL, he has been hitting very well. It has only been three games, but Gleyber is 5 for 10 with a homer and two RBI. This could be the start of the turnaround we’ve been waiting for all year. Tonight, Gleyber was the entire Yankees offense. In the seventh inning, he homered to right field to break a 0-0 deadlock. The ball was a wall scraper but did just enough to clear the right field fence.
Gleyber then came up with two on and no one out in the ninth inning. Unlike the White Sox, who decided to squander their scoring opportunity by hitting into a triple play, Gleyber made sure that the Yankees wouldn’t do the same.
Torres now has five walk off hits since 2018, including two this season. He’s developed a reputation for coming up big in the clutch and he definitely helped that reputation with his play in this game. The summer of Gleyber? We’ll see!
Monty Menace
Despite how I’ve framed this recap, there was a whole eight innings that also took place before the eventful ninth and we got ourselves a good old fashioned pitcher’s duel where neither starting pitcher allowed a run. Carlos Rodon started for the White Sox and was outstanding, giving up two hits in six innings and striking out a career high 13. Unfortunately for him, Jordan Montgomery was even more outstanding, going seven innings and striking out a career high eleven. It was the first time in MLB history both starting pitchers had gone at least six scoreless, struck out double digits and did not walk a batter. We talked a bit about Montgomery’s struggles in his last outing and how the White Sox feast on left-handed pitching, but tonight’s start completely flipped the narrative. The inconsistency of Jordan Montgomery is flummoxing (how do you pitch so poorly against the Orioles and then come back and do this?) but if he can put up starts like this, he will absolutely find himself in the Yankees rotation come October.
Game 2: Yankees Win 7-0
After a series of nail biters, Saturday’s series clinching win was nice and easy. The Best Pitcher in Baseball shut down the White Sox lineup and the Yankee bats came to life at last. This team, it might be good.
Gleyber Day Part 2
The first few innings of this one were much of the same as we’ve come to expect from the Yankees offense - zero after zero. Gleyber Torres was batting fifth today and received a hero’s welcome from the Bleacher Creatures after his heroics last night.
However, today’s crowd would get to see Gleyber Day carry over from the previous night. Torres was 3 for 4 with 4 RBI, included a two run double to kick off the Yankees scoring in the fourth inning and then this two RBI single to break the game open in the fifth.
Torres has driven in six of the Yankees nine runs scored this weekend and looks almost back to his old self. His plate coverage has been tremendous this series and he’s hit the ball with authority, especially his booming double in the fourth. A productive Gleyber deepens this Yankees lineup tremendously and takes pressure off of Judge and Urshela to not be the only saviors of the offense.
In addition to Gleyber’s standout day, Rougned Odor and Miguel Andjuar each had RBI doubles. Mike Ford contributed with this monster shot to the right center field bleachers, a 440 foot blast.
It was a welcome offensive outpouring and only the second time in a week that the Yankees scored more than two runs. The fact that they have won the majority of those games speaks to the power of their pitching staff. Regardless, it was great to see the bats get in on the action and make the life of the pitchers a bit easier today.
Cole on a Roll
Gerrit Cole was far from his best today - his command was not what we’re used to seeing from him and his strikeout stuff wasn’t there for the first few innings. Because, as you know, he is the Best Pitcher In Baseball, he still threw seven innings of shutout baseball, striking out seven and walking three. Cole got four double play ground balls to clean up his walks and sporadic hits and by his last inning, he struck out the side on 99-101 mile an hour fastballs. Just look at this pitch to Andrew Vaughn, Cole’s last pitch of the game.
It’s incredible that this is a below average outing from Cole, but it was also a welcome improvement from his last time out against Texas. Cole is a smart pitcher who knows how to get by without his A game and he showed that today against a very good lineup. It’s an absolute joy to watch him pitch and I would highly recommend it to anyone. 10/10 would witness the Best Pitcher in Baseball do Best Pitcher in Baseball things again. Justin Wilson and Luis Cessa followed Cole and threw two more scoreless innings, helped by a nice Gio Urshela play to gun down Nick Madrigal at home. Just another shutout for Yankees pitching, their eighth of the year. This staff is on a major hot streak right now (first time since 1932 that four Yankee starters in a row have thrown at least seven shutout innings) and is shaping up to be one of the best Yankees pitching staffs we’ve seen in some time. Enjoy it while you can, everyone.
Post-Stadium Visit Thoughts
Today was my first trip back to the Stadium in almost two years, since Gleyber Torres hit a walk off single to beat the Blue Jays in June 2019. It was an incredible feeling to enter the Great Hall again and be surrounded by the familiar sights of the Great Ballpark in the Bronx. Despite less people filling the halls, Yankee Stadium and the game felt very normal. I enjoyed my favorite concessions (hot dog and helmet ice cream!), participated in all the usual Stadium traditions, and baked in the 90 degree Bronx sun while watching the Yankees beat the White Sox. After a year of abnormality, I could not have been happier returning to Yankee Stadium. In conclusion, I hope we can all get to the Bronx to hear some Frank Sinatra and enjoy #HotGarySummer.
Game 3: Yankees Win 5-4
Immediately Weird
Things were weird… immediately.
Jamo, looking to lead the Yankees to their sixth straight win, got himself in trouble. He allowed a single and a walk to put runners on first and second. Jose Abreu lined a ball to left field, and Miguel Andújar appeared to make a great diving catch. The umpires decided that he had trapped the ball, so he threw it in to third, and Gio tossed it to second to turn a double play. The White Sox realized that they should probably figure out if Miggy caught the ball, seeing as if he had, it would extend the inning. Ultimately, the double play was overturned, but Taillon escaped the inning by striking out Yermin Mercedes. Check out the weird stuff.
The double play would’ve been cool, but Miguel Andújar doing good stuff as a left fielder is also fun, to me.
Immediately Good
Have you heard about the New York Yankees? The ones who string together hits and capitalize of defensive miscues? I sure have.
In the bottom of the first after DJ grounded out to Yankee Killer Dallas Keuchel, Luke Voit decided he wanted to follow in DJ’s footsteps. We can only assume, however, that in between hitters Keuchel had decided that fielding his position adequately was overrated, and he booted the ball that Voit hit back at him, allowing him to reach safely. Aaron Judge came up next, and bumped his average on the year to .312 with a single through the left side of the infield.
With runners on first and second, Gio Urshela came up and moved both runners over with a swinging bunt. That brought Gleyber Torres, exactly the guy you want up with guys on base, to the plate. Of course, he singled into left center to score Voit and Judge and put the Yankees up 2-0. Gleyber is so much fun when he is on like this. Regression to the mean is a beautiful thing.
This is a Formal Affair, Put Your Taillon
After the aforementioned weird stuff, Jamo really settled in. After Miggy’s diving catch on Abreu and the strikeout of Mercedes that ended the inning, Taillon retired his next 6 batters before Yoan Moncada singled to lead off the fourth. The back-to-back 1-2-3 innings he worked in the second and third were beautiful, taking only 27 total pitches after his 21-pitch first inning.
Moncada’s single in the fourth did not phase Taillon, evidently, as he got Jose Abreu to ground into a nice 5-4-3 double play.
Things got sketchy after that, as Taillon hit Yermin Mercedes in the head with a breaking ball. Ultimately, everything was fine as Mercedes’s batting helmet did its job and he remained in the game. Taillon got the next batter, Adam Eaton, to fly out to left and end the inning.
Taillon’s day ended after a scoreless fifth inning in which he struck out Tim Anderson to cap off his outing. All in, Taillon went 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 K, 2 BB, 1 HBP on 80 pitches. Pretty good stuff from Jamo, and he extended the streak of scoreless IP by starters to 35. Pretty good stuff from our guy.
Dallas Keuchel? More Like “Dallas Doesn’t Throw A Strike-el”
DJ led off the bottom of the fifth inning by shooting a line drive into right for a single. After that, Dallas Keuchel took the “throwing strikes is overrated” approach. Luke Voit worked a walk out of an 0-2 count, and then Keuchel finished off his start by issuing a 4-pitch walk to Aaron Judge.
Keuchel’s final line was 4+ IP, 6H, 3 R (1 earned but he made the error that caused the unearned runs), 4 K, 2 BB on 100 pitches. Thankfully not quite the Yankee Killing we were used to seeing from him.
Death By GIDP
When the Yankees knocked Dallas Keuchel out of the game with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth, it looked like things were about to get Very Good. Unfortunately, Gio Urshela, normally good, grounded into a double play. A run scored to stretch the Yankees’ lead to 3-0, but it’s not the outcome we were looking for.
Gleyber Torres struck out looking (I don’t care to discuss the day that Jim Reynolds had behind the plate, but suffice it to say I was not impressed with him), and the threat ended there. I would have liked to see the Yankees get out of that situation with some more runs, if we’re being honest.
Death By Not Scoring Insurance Runs
Wandy Peralta came on to relieve Taillon in the sixth. He got Jake Lamb to ground out, but then walked Yoan Moncada and allowed a home run to Jose Abreu. Not exactly what we were looking for. 3-2 Yankees.
Chad Green was next out of the ‘pen in relief of Peralta, and he got Yermin Mercedes to pop up to DJ in right field (DJ made a great catch) and then got Adam Eaton to strike out looking to end the inning. Good stuff from Chad, as expected. Check out DJ’s glove work.
That's what DJ do. pic.twitter.com/xp3HBRaRvX
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 23, 2021
The Little League Play Returned
And thankfully not from the Yankees!
With two on and one out in the bottom of the sixth (thanks to a walk and a hit from Gary and Clint), Brett Gardner chopped a ball softly back to the pitcher. The White Sox tried to turn a double play, but Tim Anderson’s throw to first ended up in the Yankees’ dugout, allowing Gary Sanchez to score and stretching the lead back to 2 runs at 4-2.
Green’s Blues
Chad pitched nicely in the sixth when he came on in relief of Peralta, but he did not pitch nicely to the first batter of the seventh inning, Yasmani Grandal, who came into his at-bat hitting worse than .140. His batting average on the home run he proceeded to hit off Chad was 1.000, and with that homer he brought the White Sox back within a run at 4-3. Chad finished the inning without any further drama, but left the Yankees hoping to find some runs to pad their lead.
Who Want Lasagna?
The Yankees looked to Jonathan Loaisiga to face 2-3-4 in the Chicago order in the 8th, and things did not look to be going great. DJ LeMahieu’s glove not being slightly larger yielded a cheap single to Jake Lamb despite Lamb hitting a ground ball into the teeth of the shift. Loaisiga bounced back nicely, striking out Yoan Moncada with some 100 MPH flames (after a truly awful call by Jim Reynolds, as was expected today) and then got Jose Abreu to ground into a double play. Double plays are a ton of fun when the Yankees are turning them. Way worse when they’re hitting into them.
Major Bummer
Aaron Bummer, who was drafted by the Yankees in 2011 but did not sign, came on to pitch the eighth for the White Sox. Gleyber worked the count to 3-2 and then singled to right, because all Gleyber does it hit. Gary advanced him to second with a soft ground ball to Moncada. Gleyber attempted to steal third with Andújar at the plate, and was initially called safe. Upon review, the call was overturned. It may have been the least conclusive review that I’ve ever seen produce an overturned call. Bummer struck Andújar out, and that was it for the Yankees in the eighth.
Aroldis Chapman: Not A Janitor
Why isn’t Aroldis Chapman a janitor? Because he hates sweeping.
With one out in the top of the ninth and the chance to nail down the win, Chapman allowed a home run to Andrew Vaughn to deep right center field that tied the game. It was the first earned run Chapman had allowed all year. Say goodbye to the negative FIP! Remember when I said “Death By Not Scoring Insurance Runs?” This is the kind of thing I was concerned about.
After the homer, Chapman walked Yasmani Grandal, and the White Sox immediately pinch ran Danny Mendick. A 2-2 wild pitch to Leury Garcia allowed Mendick to move to second, and put Chapman in an even tougher spot. In a big “fallacy of the predetermined outcome” move, Chapman ultimately got Garcia to hit a hard ground ball to Gio, which very easily could have produced a double play, but the double play had been taken out of order on the prior pitch. Chapman escaped the inning with a three-pitch strikeout of Nick Madrigal (who does not strike out) and sent the Yankees to the bottom of the ninth in a tie game.
Seriously, What A Bummer
Aaron Bummer remained on the mound for the White Sox in the bottom of the ninth, and allowed a leadoff single to Clint Frazier, who had three hits on the day. Gardner was called out on a check swing just as Clint Fraizer stole second, giving the Yankees a runner on second with one out. The White Sox walked DJ intentionally to set up Bummer (lefty) to face Tyler Wade (also a lefty). Wade worked the count to 3-1 and then poked a dribbler past Bummer to load the bases.
With the bases loaded, one out, and Aaron Judge coming to the plate, the White Sox turned to Liam Hendriks. Hendriks didn’t throw a single pitch in the strike zone (although Judge swung at one in the act of avoiding it) and walked Judge to give the Yankees the win.
Parting Shots
The White Sox showed up at Yankee Stadium as the best team in the American league, and got swept. The Yankees walked them off twice, and shut them out in the middle game. The Yankees have now won series against Houston, Tampa, and Chicago on their seven-series winning streak, and have won six games in a row. They’re a half game out of first place. Things are good, folks.
Tomorrow is an off day, but check back on Tuesday for the series preview as the Yankees host the Blue Jays for the first time since the year’s opening series. Let’s go Yankees.
