Gary Sanchez

New York Yankees: Mid-season player report cards and comparisons

by
New York Yankees, Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres, Giancarlo Stanton

Before the 2021 season started, the New York Yankees looked like they had their best chance of accomplishing the next world championship goal. Two major competitors seemed to be far less strong. The Boston Red Sox with a new controversial manager and in complete disarray, and a Tampa Bay team that had traded away some of their best pitchers were Yankee Killers.

Then everything was turned on its head. The Yankees got off to a plodding start (5-10) while the Tampa Bay Rays outplayed them, and to add insult to injury, the Yankees were 1-5 against them. The bigger surprise for the Yankees was that the hapless Red Sox were 10-5 during the same fifteen-game period.

Now at the halfway point, the New York Yankees are playing inconsistent ball and are nine games out of first place in the AL East.  They can’t win against the Red Sox nor the Tampa Bay Rays. With the Yankees seemingly unable to right their ship, the team gets a D on their report card. That D extends to manager Aaron Boone who doesn’t seem to be able to inspire his team to play to their capabilities.

The first figure next to the player’s name is their card from the first quarter and the second is the change since then.

Gerrit Cole, A+/A

Gerrit Cole has a record of 8-4, ERA 2.66 with 129 strikeouts. His record 6-2, ERA 1.81in the first quarter was absolutely amazing this season, considering he has gotten pretty poor run support. He is second in all of baseball with 129 strikeouts. He also has gone deeper into games than any other Yankee pitcher. At the quarter, he led the majors in strikeouts; he is now 5th. Although he is the best Yankee pitcher, his performance has fallen off. Yankee fans expected him to win 20 games this season; at this point, that doesn’t seem likely.

Corey Kluber, A/B

Record 4-2, ERA 2.86. After a slow start in the last several games, Corey Kluber has shown that he can be the Cy Young Award pitcher that he has been in the past. First, he recorded the Yankees’ 12th no-hitter against the White Sox. But then he was sidelined with a shoulder injury. He will be out for at least another month.

Domingo German, A/C

Record 4-5, ERA 4.50, his record at the quarter was 4-2, ERA 3.05. After a rough start being sent down to Scranton, he had returned to his 2019 form when he was 18-4. The New York Yankees won six straight of his starts. But then things went downhill fast; in the second quarter, he hasn’t had a win. The Yankees have lost his last two starts, and he hasn’t gone more than 4.1 innings since June 6th.

Jordan Montgomery, B+/B+

Record 3-2, ERA 4.06, his record at the quarter was 2-1, ERA 4.07. Montgomery has been pretty good but also quite inconsistent. Other than Gerrit Cole, he is second in strikeouts but also suffered from a lack of command. Four of his starts at the quarter were for five or fewer innings. However, in June, he has pitched into the sixth inning in all of his games and complete seven innings on May 21st. The interesting thing about his stats is that the Yankees have won 11 of his 15 starts.

Jameson Taillon D+/F

Record 3-4, ERA 5.43, his record at the quarter was 1-3, ERA 5.06. Jamison Taillon has not fully shaken off all the rust from his lack of pitcher after two Tommy John surgeries. His 5/23 outing against the White Sox was one of his best. However, since then, he has only gotten worse and is the Yankees’ most undependable pitcher.

Aroldis Chapman A+/B+

At the quarter, his relief record 4-0, ERA 0.47. Chapman, with the addition of his new splitter and has been lights out, going 19 games without giving up a run and recording almost 2.1 strikeouts a game. However, on May 8th, he proved he was human by giving up his first run of the season. Since then, he has blown 3 saves and took the loss in two games and, most recently, on 6/30, failed a hold in an unbelievable 9th inning, giving up 4 earned runs while only recording a single out. If he continues his 9th inning struggles, his report card will drop like a rock.

Jonathan Loaisiga A/A+

Record 7-3, ERA 2.32, was 3-2, ERA 2.49 at the quarter. Loaisiga, ever since spring training, has been manager Boone’s most dependable reliever. Since the last report card, he has only gotten better being Boone’s most reliable reliever.

Lucas Luetge B+/B+

Record 2-1, ERA 3.15; at the quarter, it was 2-0, ERA 2.95. Luetge, after a long time out of the majors, was given a change by the Yankees, and he has not disappointed this season. He had only one bad relief appearance when he gave up 3 runs in the 6/30 game against the Angels.

Chad Green  B/B+

Record 2-4, ERA 2.48, at the quarter he was 0-3, ERA 2.25. Chad Green is Chad Green, the most dependable reliever the Yankees have had over the last several years. This season he has been put into some challenging situations but still has a low 2.48 ERA.

Luis Cessa C/B+

Record 1-1, ERA 3.31. At the quarter, he was 0-0, ERA 3.00, and hadn’t got into full relief mode, but history shows he gets better as the season progresses. That holds pretty much true as he is a dependable reliever. He gets nearly a strikeout per inning and has given up only twelve runs in 36 innings pitched. At this point in the season, he has the best ERA of his 6-year career.

Aaron Judge A+/A+

Batting average .285 at the half. Aaron Judge has been gangbusters lately after a slow start to the season, hitting 12 home runs and leading the team in hits at the quarter. At the half, he has 18 home runs and leads the team in every stat except doubles. He has played well enough to be the only New York Yankee to be elected to the 2021 All-Star Game in Denver.

Giancarlo Stanton A+/A

Batting average .269. Before going on the IL with a quad strain, Stanton led the team in home runs and was the spark that ignited the team. After a brief off period, he is hitting again and has the second-most home runs on the team.

Gleyber Torres A/C

Battin average .242. Gleyber Torres got a lot of flack at the beginning of the season for poor field play, and he wasn’t hitting. That changed, and his fielding and hitter went up. Now it has changed again, and his batting average is down, and so is his defense. He has been inconsistent and has hit only 3 home runs, compared to his 38 in 2019.

Gio Urshela B+/A

Batting average .272. Gio Urshela continues to shine at the hot corner making amazing play after amazing play. He has also been the most consistent Yankee hitter, performing at key moments. He has 10 homers on the season.

DJ LeMahieu B/B+

Batting average .273. LeMahieu is still one of the Yankee’s best hitters but is not performing anywhere near like he did last season. He bats almost full 100 points below the average he ended up with last year, earning the baseball batting title.

Brett Gardner C/C

Batting average .204. Gardner is not hitting this year and has yet to hit his first home run of the season. But he is better than several of the bench players. In the field, he hasn’t lost a beat, making incredible plays. All three of his home runs have been in the month of June. So he may finally be heating up.

Clint Frazier D/F

Batting average .186. Frazier has hit pretty poorly so far in the season, although he seems to be coming into form of late. This season’s main asset is his mostly stellar play in the field, making many wild diving catches and taking runs away from opponents. However, he is the team’s biggest disappointment this year and may soon be on the trading block.

Gary Sanchez D-/B+

Gary Sanchez has been a tale of two different players. After hitting only .147 last season until recently, he looked to be on track to have another lousy season. He even lost his starting catching job to Kyle Higashioka. But after having a .178 batting average at the quarter, he has raised that to .238. In addition, he has 8 home runs in June after only having 6 during April and May combined. He is the New York Yankees’ most improved player.

Luke Voit X/D

Luke Voit after not starting the season due to knee surgery has returned to the team. He has yet to get him hitting rhythm he is batting just .195 since his return on May 11th. He has only 3 home runs compared to his 22 last season when he was the baseball home run leader.

Some players did not get report cards due to not playing enough games or being in the IL for a prolonged period.

Will the Yankees get the ‘great’ Gary Sanchez for the remainder of the 2021 season?

by
yankees, gary sanchez

The Yankees have been one of the most disappointing teams in all of baseball. Their offense has been lackluster and their starting rotation has failed to provide consistency. Nothing has clicked for the Bombers thus far. However, there have been some pleasant surprises in 2021. 

Gary Sanchez was one of the worst catchers during the 2020 season. He hit .147 with a .232 OBP and a .618 OPS. It was a complete disaster for the Sanchino. During the postseason, backup catcher Kyle Higashioka saw more playing time than the silver slugger. It was the lowest point in the young catcher’s career. 

Going into 2021, many wanted nothing to do with Sanchez. They wanted Cashman to send him elsewhere and commit to Higashioka going forward. The frustration around Gary was warranted. He was very very bad in 2020. However, the Yankees decided to keep him around.

During the first few months of the 2021 season, things looked the same. In late May, Sanchez was batting .186. However, with a .308 OBP at the time, things looked different. His at-bats were clearly better and even though his average was low, he was getting on base. Things didn’t seem completely hopeless.

Then came the month of June. Sanchez quickly became one of the best offensive catchers in the league. As of now, he is batting .238 with a .347 OBP and a .843 OPS. A HUGE jump from last month. In fact, since May 27th he is batting .318 with a .400 OBP and a 1.105 OPS. He also has six doubles, nine home runs, and 21 RBI’s. Gary Sanchez has quickly become an all-star catcher.

So, will it last?

Sanchez is a very streaky player. It’s tough to say whether he will continue this resurgence. However, you can tell he has made some real adjustments. He has been lifting his front foot less and driving the ball the other way. A different approach from Sanchez at the plate has been vital to his success thus far. He’s the only one that can control whether that continues.

Tune in tonight as Gary Sanchez and the Yankees take on the Angels in the final game of a four-game series!

New York Yankees beat the Angels 11-5, here are the major takeaways from the win

by
New York Yankees, Aaron Judge

After a four-game losing streak last night, the New York Yankees delighted fans worldwide with a big 11-5 win over the Los Angeles Angels. They showed fans and detractors alike that they can be the Bronx Bombers of old. The big question is can they maintain that energy and success?

Don’t let Jameson Taillon fool you

Jameson Taillon earned the win last night in the Yankees 11-5 win over the Los Angeles at Yankee Stadium. It was his third win of the season against four losses in fifteen starts. But don’t be fooled. Taillon didn’t win the game the Yankee lineup did. Taillon gave up all the runs the Angels would score. Taillon is still the lousy pitcher he has been all season. With the Yankees only scoring about 3 runs per game, giving up five runs would normally be a loss for any starting pitcher.

Jameson Taillon was a better-than-average pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirate before his series of injuries. He had two Tommy John surgeries. But with him working his way back, the New York Yankees thought they could take a chance on him to be a number three or four starter for their revamped Yankee rotation.  Now halfway through the season for Taillon, that seems like a pipe dream. He has shown some bright spots this season, only to go out and erase them in the next outing.

The good pitching news from last night is not Taillon; it’s Nestor Cortes Jr. that stepped in and saved Taillon last night. Cortes Jr. has proven that he is a dependable option for Aaron Boone whenever he is needed. Last night he pitched 1.2 innings of one-hit ball. In his last 8.1 innings of relief, he has allowed only three hits and no runs. Call-up Albert Abreu closed out the game for the Yankees, pitching two hitless innings.

Yankees score a season-high 11 runs

The New York Yankees that have been playing all season did not show up last night; the “Bronx Bombers” we all know and love performed last night like Yankee fans have not seen all season long. There were several high points last night. One is scoring a season-high 11 runs. Every Yankee scored last night, and the Yankees hit three home runs in the game.

It was a hit fest for the New York Yankees last night. Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge, and Miguel Andujar all hit home runs in the game. In addition, Sanchez, Luke Voit, and Miguel Andujar all had extra-base hits. The Yankees also never let up the pressure on the Angels. LeMahieu, Judge, Andujar, Sanchez, Voit, and Gleyber Torres all had two out RBI’s.

Turnaround or giant tease?

The morning after, many New York Yankee fans wonder if last night finally signaled a turnaround for the Yankees. Others may be wondering if it was just a giant tease that has seen the Yankees take a step forward and then two steps back. The Yankees have, for the most part, have had a roller-coaster season with more downs than ups.

At the start of the season, most industry analysts predicted with the Yankee’s strong lineup and newly revamped pitching rotation that they would be the team to beat all the way to the World Series. However, Yankee fans and analysts alike have been totally puzzled by the exact opposite. The Yankees appear to be a lifeless unenergetic team that can’t get out of its own way, often failing on baseball’s basics. If you believe that the Yankees will stop hitting into double plays, stop making running errors. And that the team will all of the sudden start hitting across the lineup, then the Yankees have now turned it around. If you are like so many sports sites, even New York ones, you believe the Yankees are done for it.

Last night New York Yankee general manager Brian Cashman for the first time, threw the Yankees under the bus while showing his continued support of Boone and the coaches.

“I know they urgently want to get on track, but I also know that we suck right now, as bad as you can be,” the general manager said Tuesday. “Trying to knock ourselves out of that is the effort, but until we get online and start playing high again, it’s gonna look bad. It plays bad and it stinks to high heavens. Right now, we gotta own that. I gotta call it like I see it: It’s pretty bad right now.”

Just one week ago, the New York Yankees had crawled back to just four games out of first place, but now a week later, even after last night’s game, the Yankees are back to 7 1/2 games out, with only the Baltimore Orioles playing worse ball. I am not going to join the bandwagon saying that the Yankees are through this season. They still have time to turn it around, but they must start doing it now, and in a big way, anything less will disappoint.

Tonight the New York Yankees will face the pitching and hitting sensation Shohei Ohtani,  that many compare to Babe Ruth. If Domingo German and the Yankees can win this game, it will go a long way to say that a turnaround may be in the offing.

 

 

New York Yankees Recap 6/29: Yankees pummeled the Angels 11-5

by
New York Yankees, Miguel Andujar

Tonight the New York York Yankees had their second game of the four-game set with the Los Angeles Angels. Last night he lost the first game of the series 5-3, their fourth loss in a row. On the mound for the Yankees tonight was Jameson Taillon and for the Angels Andrew Heaney. The Yankees have been looking to turn things around as they slip further away from the top of the AL East.

Jameson Taillon, the Yankee’s least dependable pitcher, took the mound for the first inning facing the Angel’s David Fletcher, who flew out of left. Shohei Ohtani flew out to Aaron Judge. Anthony Rendon got a two-out double to left-center. Jared Walsh struck out for a good inning for Taillon. At the bottom, DJ LeMahieu faced the Angels Andrew Heaney, and he ground out. Aaron Judge went down on strikes. Then, Gary Sanchez hit a long home run into the right-center field stands for his 14th home run of the season. Giancarlo Stanton walked. Luke Voit went down looking, but the Yankees got ahead in the game on Sanchez’s sole shot. New York Yankees 1 Angels 0.

Max Stassi doubled on a bobbled play by Andujar in left. Rengifo hit into the force, with Stassi taking third. Iglesias got a two-run homer to left. Schebler struck out. Taylor Ward, with two outs, flew out to Gardner to end the half. At the bottom, Gleyber Torres popped out to short. Gio Urshela walked. Miguel Andujar singled, moving Urshela to third base. Brett Gardner sac flew out to left with Urshela scoring. Andujar moved to second. LeMahieu got a long single to right driving in Andujar for the Yankee lead. Aaron Judge got a two-run homer (434′) into Monument Park. Gary Sanchez flew out. Yankees 5 Angels 2.

Fletcher in the third grounded out to third. Ohtani hit his second home run in as many nights. Rendon singled to left. Walsh hit into the force out. Stassi ground out to end the half. Giancarlo Stanton led off the bottom by walking. Luke Voit flew out to deep center field. Torres continued his slump, striking out. Urshela went down looking. Yankees 5 Angels 3.

At the top of the fourth, Renfigo flew out to Judge in right. Iglesias singled. Schebler went down on strikes. Ward flew out to end the half. Miguel Andujar led off the bottom of the fourth by homering to the short porch in right. Gardner walked. With a new pitcher on the mound, LeMahieu faced James Hoyt, and he flew out to right. Aaron Judge flew out to left. Gary Sanchez doubled driving in Gardner from first. Stanton walked. Luke Voit doubled, driving in Sanchez as the Yankees poured it on in the inning. Torres got a two-run single driving in Stanton and Voit as the Yankees went double digits. Urshela struck out to end the inning. New York Yankees 10 Angels 3

Fletcher led off the fifth inning by singling to center. Ohtani hit his second home run in the game and his third home run in the series. Rendon walked. Walsh struck out. Stassi hit into a round-the-horn double play to end the half. Andujar led off the bottom and popped back to the pitcher. Gardner walked. LeMahieu walked. Both runners moved up on a wild pitch. Judge walked. Sanchez, with the bases loaded and one out hit into an inning-ending double play.  New York Yankees 10 Angels 5.

Rengifo flew out to open the sixth. Iglesias singled to left, and that was the night for Jameson Taillon. He was replaced by Nestor Cortes Jr. Schebler was pinch-hit for by Gosellin, who struck out. Ward singled but got run down at second to end the inning. Stanton led off the bottom and struck out. Voit ground out to third. Torres singled to center. Urshela faced the new pitcher Jose Quintana and singled, moving Torres to second. Torres stole third. Andujar with men on the corners and two out doubled going 3 for 4 in the game. Torres scored. Gardner struck out to end the inning. Yankees 11 Angels 5.

The seventh inning was led off by Fletcher, who struck out. Ohtani, who has homered twice in the game, flew out to Gardner in center. Rendon struck out to end the half. At the bottom, LeMahieu ground out to right. Aaron Judge ground out to short. Gary Sanchez popped up to the catcher to end the scoreless inning.

At the top of the eighth, with Albert Abreu on the mound, Walsh walked. Stassi struck out swinging. Rengifo flew out to Judge. Iglesias hit Abreu, but he recovered and fired for the out. At the bottom, Stanton, against new Angel pitcher Alex Claudio flew out. Voit flew out to left. Torres walked. Urshela struck out. Another fast scoreless inning.

With last licks on the line for the Los Angeles Angels, Gosselin took to the plate and ground out to Torres at short. Ward went to first on a hit by pitch. Fletcher sent a bullet down, first caught by Voit. Ohtani ground out to Voit to end the game. The final score was 11-5. The winner was Jameson Taillon, and the loser was Andrew Heaney. With the win, the Yankees broke their four-game losing streak.

 

 

 

Gary Sanchez is carrying the Yankees on his back

by
New York Yankees, Gary Sanchez

The 2020 season, for New York Yankees’ catcher Gary Sanchez, was a nightmare. He batted .147, he had a 68 wRC+ (well below the average, established at 100) and struck out in 36 percent of his plate appearances. This season, he started off hot, then cooled off and, once again, lost playing time to Kyle Higashioka.

However, he is back to being scorching hot, and has maintained that level for a while. Not only he is back performing like an All-Star: Gary Sanchez is carrying the Yankees. The team is streaking and is now four games behind the leader in the AL East, in large part thanks to the Kraken.

“When we were struggling to score runs, I kept saying, ‘It’s a matter of time,’” Sánchez said to MLB.com after Thursday’s win through an interpreter. “I have so much confidence in the talent that we have and in my teammates. Eventually, this is what was supposed to happen, for the offense to work the way it’s working right now.”

The Yankees’ catcher is on quite the hot streak

The Yankees’ starting catcher has hit an incredible eight home runs in his last 23 games, and he credits the improvement, per MLB.com, “nixing a problematic leg kick from his stride at the plate.”

Over that timeframe, Sanchez has been, without a question, the Yankees’ most valuable hitter, with a .338/.410/.743 line, eight homers, and a 206 wRC+.

For the season, Sanchez has a .240/.344/.503 line with a 130 wRC+ and 13 home runs in 56 games. He has lowered his strikeout rate to 26.9 percent, almost 10 percentage points compared to last season’s disaster.

Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone praised Sánchez’s “courage” for deciding to make the changes in-season. He said his previous stance was preventing his catcher from catching up to fastballs.

Now that he is producing at a high rate, Sanchez is deserving of a place in the All-Star game and of regular playing time on the Yankees.

New York Yankees: 3 Major takeaways from series win over the Royals

by
New York Yankees, Aaron Judge

Last night the New York Yankees faced the Kansas City Royals on a top 10 weather day at Yankee Stadium. It was an absolutely lovely day for the rubber game, determining who would win the series. It was a day that drew celebrities to watch the Yankees. Ex-manager Joe Torre was on hand, as well as Yankee pitcher Jose Contreras, Godzilla Hideki Matsui, and all-time best Yankee fan Paul Simon. The Yankees won the game in an 8-1 laugher.

Taillon has his best outing of the season

Jameson Taillon came to the New York Yankees in a trade just before spring training in a trade with the Pittsburg Pirates. Taillon hadn’t pitched in almost two years due to two Tommy John surgeries. The Yankees hoped in this risky move that Taillon could return to his previous form and become a solid number three starter for the team.

So far this season, Taillon has become somewhat of a disappointment as he hasn’t returned to that form they hoped for. He has had problems with his command and has mostly failed to put hitters away after two outs. Although he has shown a few bright spots, he has been inconsistent at best. However, last night at the Stadium, he showed that he could pitch deep and put players away. The Yankees hope this is a turning point for Taillon and build on a strong showing. Catcher Gary Sanchez said after the game that Taillon had good command of his pitches and changed up his pitch selection. Taillon got his second win of the season, going 6.1 innings, allowing only one run while striking out six Royals.

Sanchez and Judge on fire again

The oft-criticized catcher Gary Sanchez has done a remarkable turnaround in the last two weeks or so. After nursing a batting average under .200, he now seems like the star he was in 2017. It may be that a minor tweak by hitting coach Marcus Thames in Sanchez’s leg kick may have done the trick. He has seven home runs in his last thirteen games and a now respectable .240 batting average. Also, the good news for the Yankees is that this is not just a few good games; it appears he has found his stride and that it will continue.

Slugger Aaron Judge is a completely different story; he has had a better than average season leading the team in home runs and hitting for contact. But for the last ten days, he has gone into a mini-slump striking out a lot and not hitting for power. Last night that all changed; Judge was on base all five times. Breaking out of that slump last night, he in his first at-bat, he homered into the short porch at Yankee Stadium. He doubled, hit two singles, and also walked on the night. Judge, Sanchez, and Luke Voit all homered in the game.

Torres, Gardner, and Frazier still struggle

The New York Yankees have really turned things around of late, winning seven of their last nine games. This is mostly because the top five in the lineup have been hitting. In this series, the Yankee top five have gone 10 for 22 with four home runs, a double, and eight RBI’s, but all the players haven’t joined the party. Of the top five, only Torres has continued to struggle. The addition of the returning Luke Voit has also added power to the lineup.

Brett Gardner and Clint Frazier haven’t been able to pull it all together this season. Gardner, the 37-year-old veteran holdover from the 2009 World Series team, is batting just .201, with only 2 home runs on the season and a lowly 8 RBI’s. Clint Frazier hoping to add to his 2020 performance, is still playing good defense but is hitting a poultry .188 with five home runs and 14 RBI’s. His poor play has cost him to lose his starting position in left field that he now shares with Miguel Andujar.

 

 

New York Yankees Recap: Home runs power Yankees to series win over KC

by
New York Yankees, Aaron Boone, jameson taillon

Today in the Bronx at Yankees Stadium, the New York Yankees met up with the Kansas City Royals for the finale of a 3 game series between the two old rivals. The Royals took game one, and the Yankees had a walk-off win against the Royals last night at the bottom of the ninth inning. Today Jameson Taillon was on the mound for the Yankees and Brad Keller for the Royals. It was a beautiful day for a ballgame with bright sunny skies and a game-time temperature in the high 70’s. Ex-manager Joe Torre was in the stands to watch the game.

In the first inning with Taillon on the mound, leadoff hitter Whit Merrifield singled to left field over the head of Tyler Wade, who was playing at short today. Merrifield stole second. Carlos Santana ground out. Salvatore Perez struck out, and Ryan O’Hearn ground to end the half.

At the bottom, LeMahieu ground back to pitcher Keller. Aaron Judge started the day with his 16th homer of the season into the short porch at Yankee Stadium. Gary Sanchez, who has worked himself up to the third spot in the lineup, singled. Giancarlo Stanton got a base hit for two on and one out. Luke Voit, who had the walk-off win last night, flew out to center. Rougie Odor got a base hit to right, and Sanchez scored with Stanton moving to second. Clint Frazier ground into a force to end the inning, but the Yankees got the early lead. New York Yankees 2 Kansas City Royals 0.

The top of the second inning was led off by Hanser Alberto, who doubled. Jarrod Dyson was out on a sac bunt, moving Alberto moved to third. Michael Taylor struck out swinging. Lopez flew out to Gardner to end the half. Brett Gardner led off the bottom by flying out to centerfield. Tyler Wade looking for his first home run of the season, worked a walk-off of Keller. Wade stole second. LeMahieu walked. Judge hit an RBI single, scoring Wade from second. Wade’s speed pays off big for the Yankees time after time. Sanchez with men on the corner and one out ground out. The Yankees ended the inning, gaining another run. Yankees 3 Royals 0.

The third inning was a quick inning for both pitchers, but Luke Voit got another home run in the bottom of the third, a solo one to the left to put the Yankees up another run. In the top of the fourth, with Taillon pitching well, Perez stuck out. O’Hearn flew out. Taylor flew out to end the half. At the bottom, with the Yankees up by four, Wade hit a push bunt a bit too hard and was out at first. LeMahieu ground out to short. Judge walked. Sanchez struck out swinging. New York Yankees 4 Royals 0.

Leading off the fifth was Lopez against Taillon; he singled up the middle. Rivero got an RBI double down the left-field line driving in Lopez (his first major league hit), putting the Royals on the board. Merrifield walked. Santana flew out to Frazier. Perez hit into a double play to end the half. At the bottom, Stanton singled to left. Voit struck out. Odor flew to the left-center wall moving Stanton to third. Frazier walked, loading the base for Brett Gardner with one out. Gardner flew out to left in foul territory. Wade, with two outs and the bases loaded, went down looking. Yankees 4 Royals 1.

To start the sixth inning, O’Hearn ground out. Alberto flew out, and Dyson flew out to Gardner for the quick inning for Taillon. At the bottom, Anthony Swarzak took over the pitching for the Royals. LeMahieu lined into center for a single. Judge doubled to the right-center wall splitting the outfields, LeMahieu went to third. Sanchez got a long three-run homer into the bullpen in left field. Stanton ground out third. Voit hit a fly ball to the warning track in center for the second out. Odor advanced on a hit by pitch. Frazier struck out. New York Yankees 7 Royals 1.

The seventh inning was led off by Taylor, who called out on strikes. Lopez walked on the 96th pitch, and that was the day for Taillon, one of his best outings. The Yankees turned to Nestor Cortes Jr., who faced Rivero, who ground out. Merrifield ended the inning swinging out. At the bottom, Gardner foul-tipped for an out. Wade popped out to third. LeMahieu popped back to Davis, the reliever. Yankees 7 Royals 1.

Dozier, at the top of the eighth against Cortes Jr., walked. Perez struck out. O’Hearn struck out. Alberto hit one just short of Frazier in left, moving up Dozier to second. Dyson foul-tipped into Sanchez’s glove to strand two Royals. At the bottom, it was Ervin Santana facing Aaron Judge, who walked. Judge took second on a wild pitch. Sanchez went down on strikes. Judge moved to third on another wild pitch. Stanton singled to left for his third hit of the day, driving in Judge. Voit went down on strikes for the second out of the inning. Odor flew out to left. New York Yankees 8 Royals 1.

Nestor Cortes Jr., still on the mound for the top of the ninth, Taylor flew out to Judge. Soler struck out. Gutierrez in for Merrifield flew out to end the game. The final score was the New York Yankees 8 and the Kansas City Royals 1. The winning pitcher was Jameson Taillon, and the loser was Brad Keller. The Yankees took the series 2 games to 1.

New York Yankees: 3 Major takeaways from Yankees walk-off win over the Royals

by
aroldis chapman, yankees

In the ninth inning last night in the Bronx, and after Aroldis Chapman blew the save for the New York Yankees, it looked like another loss to the Kansas City Royals, but in the bottom, Gary Sanchez hit a home run, and Luke Voit drove in the winning run with a walk-off hit. The Yankees won the game 6-5. A season record of 25,032 fans watched the game at the Stadium.

Michael King give up two

Last night Michael King ate up 4.2 innings for the Yankees, giving up two runs in the process. King wasn’t particularly good or particularly bad. He, like Kansas City starter Danny Duffy, wasn’t involved in the game’s decision. Kansas City took the early lead in the game, with King giving up two runs, but in the fourth inning, the Yankees came back with Torres walking for the second walk in the inning. Frazier hit a two-run double to the center-field wall to knot up the game at two apiece.

Taylor led off the fifth inning by striking out swinging. Lopez walked. Merrifield flew out to Judge in center for the second out. Lopez took second on a wild pitch. Santana was intentionally walked. A pitch hit Sebastian Rivero, and that was the night for Michael King.

Rollercoaster game rollercoaster Yankees

Last night was the mirror image of the New York Yankees season. The game was up and down for the Yankees, with the lead being exchanged several times. The game was tied at two to being the eighth inning. The top of the eighth saw Carlos Santana at the plate against the new Yankee pitcher Zack Britton. Santana hit one into the left-field bleachers for the Royals lead in the game. However, that wouldn’t last as Frazier walked in the bottom, and Odor hit a two-run home run into the bullpen in left field as the New York Yankee took the lead in the game.

The Yankees had the 4-3 lead when Aroldis Chapman stepped onto the mound in the ninth. In an uncustomarily bad inning, Chapman allowed two runners and then intentionally walked Santana to load the bases. Chapman then faced the rookie Rivero who walked the game tied. Then, on a slow roller by O’Hearn, the Royals took the 5-4 lead. In the bottom, Gary Sanchez homered to tie it back up again. Giancarlo Stanton set the stage by singling. But then, with pinch-runner Tyler Wade at second, Luke Voit hit a long one to the left-field wall driving in Wade for the Yankee walk-off win. It was the Yankee’s sixth walk-off of the season.

Yankees still fail to bring runners home

The New York Yankees are still failing to bring runners home as they leave men on base. Last night’s game could have been a bloodbath for the Royals as they issued 11 walks to the Yankees. But as all season, the Yankees, with heavy traffic on the bases, could only muster up 6 runs. The Yankees last night were 2 for 6 leaving 10 men on base. Twice in the game, the Yankees left the bases loaded.

 

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6 walk-offs

New York Yankees Recap: Yankees win over KC with a Luke Voit walk-off win

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New York Yankees, Yankees, NYY, Luke Voit

The New York Yankees met up with the Kansas City Royals for game two of a 3 game set after losing to the Royals last night in a 6-5 game. It was a beautiful night for baseball in the Bronx. The game-time temperature was 74, and the game was started under sunny skies. The Yankees Michael King faced the Royals, Danny Duffy.

In the first inning, King faced Whit Merrifield hit to second, and the call on the field was safe, and on review, he was found to be out. Carlos Santana flew out to left. Salvatore Perez doubled to the left-field wall. Ryan O’Hearn hit a two-run homer to the right-field porch for a two-run lead in the first inning. Jorge Soler struck out to end the half, but the Royals went ahead 2-0. At the bottom, DJ LeMahieu against Danny Duffy, and he went down on strikes. Aaron Judge went down on strikes. Gary Sanchez flew out to shallow left for the final out of the inning. Kansas City Royals 2 New York Yankees 0.

Kevin Gutierrez led off the second by flying out to center to Aaron Judge. Hunter Dozier ripped one to left, which Andujar caught. Michael Taylor lined out directly to Urshela at third for the 1-2-3 inning for King. The bottom was led off by Giancarlo Stanton, who worked a walk on six pitches. Luke Voit, who homered last night, struck out. Gleyber Torres, who was in a terrible slump, walked for the second walk of the inning. Miguel Andujar, with two on and one out, flew out to left field. Clint Frazier, who now has the worst batting average on the team, also walked to load the bases with the Yankees. Rougie Odor struck out, leaving the bases loaded as the Yankees have done so many times this season. Royals 2 Yankees 0.

Nicky Lopez led off the third inning by swinging out. Merrifield chopped to short for the second out of the inning. Santana hit on a bouncing ball to Andujar, who held it at a singer. Perez struck out to end the half. At the bottom, it was the top of the lineup for the Yankees. LeMahieu faced the second Royals pitcher Kyle Zimmer, and the bounced past short for a single. Aaron Judge flew out to right. Gary Sanchez ended the inning but hitting into a double play. Royals 2 Yankees 0.

O’Hearn led off the fourth and struck out swinging. Soler ground out. Gutierrez struck out to end the half. The Yankees Stanton walked for the second time in the game. Voit struck out. Andujar flew out to center. Torres walked for the second walk in the inning. Frazier hit a two-run double to the center-field wall to knot up the game at two apiece. Odor walked for the third walk of the inning. LeMahieu, with two on and two outs, flew out to center, but the Yankees tied up the game. New York Yankees 2 Kansas City Royals 2.

Taylor led off the fifth inning by struck out swinging. Lopez walked. Merrifield flew out to Judge in center for the second out. Lopez took second on a wild pitch. Santana was intentionally walked. Sebastian Rivero was hit by a pitch, and that was the night for King. He was replaced by Chad Green, who faced O’Hearn, who flew out to leave the bases loaded with Royals. At the bottom, Judge struck out on another low call. Sanchez grounded out to short. Stanton flew out on the eleven pitch at-bat. Yankees 2 Royals 2.

Jorge Soler led off the sixth against Chat Green and flew out to Andujar in left. Gutierrez flew out to Frazier in right. Dozier went down looking for a 1-2-3 inning for Green. At the bottom, Luke Voit led off for the Yankees, and facing Josh Staumont; he ground out to short. Torres struck out swinging. Andujar got a base hit to left past the third baseman. Frazier flew out to the warning track in right to end the inning. Yankees 2 Royals 2.

Michael Taylor led off the top of the seventh inning and flew out to Judge in center. Nicky Lopez ground out to short. Merrifield popped out to Voit in foul territory as Green put down all seven hitters he faced. After the stretch, Rougie Odor flew out to left field. LeMahieu worked a walk. With the new pitcher Scott Barlow on the mound, Aaron Judge struck out swinging. Gary Sanchez walked. Stanton walked for their ninth walk in the game. Luke Voit at the plate struck out, and the Yankees left the bases loaded again. Yankees 2 Royals 2.

The top of the eighth saw Carlos Santana at the plate against the new Yankee pitcher Zack Britton. Santana hit one into the left-field bleachers for the Royals lead in the game.  Rivero, still looking for his first major league hit, struck out. O’Hearn struck out. Soler doubled over the head of Judge in center. Gutierrez chopped out to short, but the Royals took the lead in the game. At the bottom, Torres against Jake Brentz, he walked. Andujar hit into a double play with Torres tagged running the bases. Frazier walked. Odor hit a two-run home run into the bullpen in left field as the New York Yankee took the lead in the game. LeMahieu ground out to third for the final out of the inning. New York Yankees 4 the Kansas City Royals 3.

Aroldis Chapman on the mound for the Yankees faced Dozier, who struck out on a Chapman slider. Taylor hit past the diving Torres for a single. Hanser Alberto pinch-hitting struck out. Merrifield singled to Judge in right as Taylor took third. Santana was intentionally walked. Chapman faced the rookie Rivero who walked the game tied.  O’Hearn rolled to third, and the Royals scored for the lead in the game in the ninth inning. With the bases still loaded, Dyson grounded out to second, but the Royals took the lead in the game 5-4.

At the bottom of the ninth, with the New York Yankees behind by one run, Aaron Judge took to the plate against Royal’s closer Greg Holland and struck out for an 0 for 5 on the night. Gary Sanchez, who was 0 for 3 on the night, hit a huge home run into the left-field stands to tie up the game at 5. Giancarlo Stanton singled to right. Tyler Wade pinch ran for Stanton. Wade took second on a wild pitch. Luke Voit hit one to the left-field wall as Wade scored for the Yankees win of the game.

The final score was New York Yankees 6 and the Kansas City Royals 5. The winning pitcher was Aroldis Chapman, who blew the save, and the loser was Greg Holland.

 

Yankees’ Aaron Boone raves about Gary Sanchez’s turnaround

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yankees, gary sanchez

Gary Sanchez is one of the most polarizing players on the New York Yankees, but when he’s playing well, there might not be a better catcher in baseball. It is difficult to find elite hitting catchers at the major league level, and Sanchez offers that when on a hot streak, similar to what he’s produced over the past few weeks.

The Dominican Republic native has recorded a .333 average, including seven hits, three home runs, and six RBIs over his last 21 at-bats (last seven games). He has struck out just four times in that timeframe, indicating a massive increase in efficiency and production.

In fact, Sanchez’s last 15 games are equally as impressive, hitting .315, with 17 hits, five homers, and 12 RBIs. On the season, he currently hosts a .237 average with a .820 OPS. You might not find another catcher as hot as Gary right now, and skipper Aaron Boone has waited quite some time to rave about his progression, despite facing serious issues over the past few years.

“Now you’re seeing a real quiet lower half and a more balanced hitter,’’ Boone said. “He’s just in a much different place than he was a month ago.”

Sanchez has worked tirelessly to improve his batting stance and fundamentals, keying in on the ball and developing his swing with muscle memory.

“The major league season can be such a grind, it’s hard to make real significant mechanical changes … and he’s made those,’’ Boone said. “He had that big leg kick he would hold in the air and think it was destroying his timing and causing him to miss some pitches he should be on.”

The Yankees have found the solution to Sanchez’s batting issues:

We all remember the leg kick that Sanchez produced, trying to put more power behind his swings. Ultimately, the kick was never necessary, as Gary has plenty of power to get the ball over the fence using his upper body and a strong base. Slugger Aaron Judge faced a similar problem but has since lowered his leg kick and developed into a superior hitter as well.

The primary question is if Sanchez can continue dominating in this fashion, or will teams find another weakness in his game? A lot of Sanchez’s success depends on his confidence, so as long as he can continue hitting and making solid contact, we should expect to see a better version of the 28-year-old catcher. He is currently on a one-year, $6.35 million deal for the season, but he’s a free agent in 2023 and arbitration-eligible next off-season.

Depending on how the rest of the campaign unfolds, the Yankees will have a big decision on Sanchez, whether or not he has earned a long-term extension or another one-year deal in arbitration.