Following last night’s back and forth affair which saw the Yankees fall short against the Red Sox in a three-run loss, the Yankees looked to bounce back and attempt to make up some ground in the AL East, as well as try and reinforce their lead on the first wild card spot. CC Sabathia took up the mound for the Bombers in this matchup, with the daunting Chris Sale on the hill for the Sox. Thanks to a huge performance from Tyler Austin and a solid pitching outing from Sabathia, the Yankees were able to take this one from the AL Cy Young hopeful and the Sox.
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| ADAM GLANZMAN/GETTY IMAGES |
The first inning was mostly uneventful, with only seven hitters coming up to bat between the two teams. However, this inning did see Aaron Judge draw a walk. While that wouldn’t normally turn heads, it’s a very nice thing to see from Judge, who has been striking out at an obscene rate. The second inning is where the game finally began to heat up, with the Yankees putting the first runs of the game up on the board as Tyler Austin hit a three-run moonshot, bringing in Didi Gregorius and Todd Frazier. Sabathia followed this up with another stellar inning which saw the Red Sox again get sent down in order.
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| ADAM GLANZMAN/GETTY IMAGES |
The third inning saw the Yankees unable to follow up their three-run third as they did not add to the lead, while the Red Sox once again were unable to handle Sabathia, as he sent down three out of four Red Sox who came up to bat. The fourth inning was a similar story, with the Yankees going down in four batters and the Red Sox in three as Sabathia continued to have a fantastic game, a bright spot for the Yankees in the wake of many subpar pitching performances recently.
In the fifth, the Yankees had an opportunity to build upon their lead with Aaron Hicks hitting a one out double. Unfortunately, that’s when Aaron Judge came to the plate and extended his record-breaking strikeout streak another game. Gary Sanchez followed this up with a groundout and the inning ended with Hicks stranded on second. Unfortunately, this inning finally brought about the first Red Sox runs, as Sabathia allowed two runs via a walk and several singles and ground outs. Thankfully, there was no more damage and the Yankee lead remained intact.
The sixth inning saw only four Yankees come up to the plate, but one of them made a major impact while he was there, as Todd Frazier sent a ball flying over the wall for a solo shot. This extended the Yankee lead to two runs and would prove vital in the game’s outcome. In the bottom half of the inning, Sabathia started off struggling as he let up a double to Mookie Betts to lead the inning off. Sabathia showed resilience though, as he proceeded to send the next three Red Sox down in order and preserve the two-run lead.
In the top half of the seventh, three out of four Yankees struck out with Sale showcasing his dominance that has become commonplace most of the time. In the bottom half, Adam Warren took over for Sabathia in an attempt to preserve the lead. However, the Yankee lead was cut to one on a Rafael Devers solo shot to center field which was upheld by umpire review. Warren then forced a strikeout and handed the game over to Robertson who forced a ground out to get out of the inning.
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| Corey Sipkin NYP |
The eighth saw Chris Sale finally leave the game and Matt Barnes enter. The top half saw three Yankee ground outs with a Didi Gregorius single in the middle and was followed up by a somewhat scary Red Sox half of the inning, which saw Andrew Benintendi get to first on a drop third strike and advance to second after an intentional walk of Mitch Moreland. With these two runners on though, Robertson fanned Mookie Betts to escape to the ninth with the one run lead.
The ninth saw the Yankees barely miss out on extending the lead as Tyler Austin doubled to leadoff the inning. He was replaced by the pinch running Jacoby Ellsbury who advanced to third on a sac bunt but was subsequently thrown out at home on a fielder’s choice. In the bottom half of the inning, Betances was handed the game. Betances managed to excel in this role, as only three Red Sox came to the plate and the Yankees escaped with the win.
Tomorrow the Yankees face off against the Red Sox for the last time this series. Trade deadline acquisition Sonny Gray will face off against Rick Porcello in a game that could prove vital to the Yankees division title hopes or their aspirations for the first wild card position.
Winning Pitcher: CC Sabathia (10-5) 6.0 IP, 1 BB, 4 H, 2 ER, 4 K
Losing Pitcher: Chris Sale (14-5) 7.0 IP, 1 BB, 1 HR, 7 H, 4 ER, 9 K
Save: Dellin Betances (9)
Notables:
Tyler Austin 2-4, HR, 3 RBI
Didi Gregorius 3-4, R, K
Todd Frazier 1-3, 2 R, RBI
Aaron Judge 0-4, BB, 3 K
Article by: Connor Thoms
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