gerrit cole

New York Yankees walk off to Fenway and the Wild Card, what you need to know

by
Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees

The New York Yankees entered yesterday’s last game of the season at Yankee Stadium with the hope of salvaging a game from the Tampa Bay Rays and holding onto a berth in the wild card one game winner takes all game. They did that and in a dramatic walk-off fashion. It was an extraordinary game that, in a way, was a microcosm of the entire season played out in a few hours.

It’s no secret that the Yankees have had a roller-coaster season. They have had periods of great pitching and periods of dismal pitching. They have had prolonged droughts of no hitting at all for what was supposed to be one of the most potent lineups in baseball. Yesterday was no different; the Yankee pitching was superb, but the guys from the Bronx just couldn’t hit the ball. It was so extreme that the Yankees had only two hits in the game in a scoreless contest until the bottom of the ninth inning.

At the bottom of the ninth, Odor led off and singled up the middle. He was pinch-run by Tyler Wade. Gleyber Torres flew out to right with Wade going to second. Anthony Rizzo singled with Wade going to third and Rizzo going to second on the throw. With Aaron Judge coming up, the Rays went to Kittredge. Judge hit a ground ball to second, but the speedy Tyler Wade flashed to home with a sliding Yankees one-run walk-off win. Judge and Wade showed their worth as they have all season long, but this time it was significant as the Yankees secured a wild card berth.

On Tuesday, the Yankees will play their long-time rival Red Sox at Fenway Park. They are playing the wild card game at Fenway because they have identical 92-70 records, eight games behind the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays. When there is a tie, the team with the best record off the opposing team during the season gets the home-field advantage. The Yankees have put their rocky season behind them and are just happy to have one more chance to get to the divisional series.

Tuesday, October 5, 8:08 pm EDT – The Wild Card Game!

The Boston Red Sox will send Nathan Eovaldi to the mound to hold down the Yankees. Eovaldi is a former Yankee pitcher (2015-16, 23-11). After the 2016 season, Eovaldi would have Tommy John surgery and would not pitch during the 2017 season, after which he would become a free agent. On November 23, 2016, the Yankees released him.  He signed a two-year contract with the Rays although he didn’t pitch in 2017, he did have ten starts in 2018 with an ERA of 4.26. But on July 25th, he was traded to the Red Sox.

With the Red, Sox Eovaldi has been 20-15 with an ERA of 4.11. This season he is 11-9 with an ERA of 3.75. The Yankees and Eovaldi have met in the postseason once before. In 2018 in game three of the divisional series, he pitched seven innings in the 16-1 Yankee loss, the Yankees’ most lopsided loss in their postseason history. The New York Yankees are hoping for a better result when they meet up Tuesday night.

Eovaldi is coming off a September 29th win over the Baltimore Orioles when he gave up only four hits in a scoreless effort, striking out 7. Still, on the 24th, he lasted only 2.2 innings against the Yankees giving up seven earned runs in the Yankee win. Over the 2021 season, Eovaldi has a 2-4 record against the Yankees.

Eovaldi will face the New York Yankees ace, Gerrit Cole. Cole is the Yankees winningest pitcher with a 16-8 record, an ERA of 3.23, and an incredible 243 strikeouts. Cole came to the Yankees when, in December of 2019, GM Brian Cashman, Aaron Boone, and pitching great Andy Pettitte traveled to Califonia and lured him to the Yankees with a box of wine and $324 million. This after pitching 35-10 for the Houston Astros.

So far, with the Yankees, he is 23-11 with a 3.11 ERA in two seasons. Cole has pitched to the Red Sox four times this season, with the Yankees losing two of those games. Cole is coming off a loss to the Toronto Blue Jays when he gave up five runs in six innings of work.

On paper, the New York Yankees have an excellent chance of winning this game, but there is a concern. Although Cole has won a lot of games, his winning percentage was best earlier in the season. It got to the point that when Cole took the mound, the Yankees were nearly assured of a win. Unfortunately, that is no longer true. Cole had struggled at times during September when he lost as many games as he has won. His innings pitched is down, as is his strikeout rate. In addition, he seemed to have tired as the season progressed.

The Yankees hope he will be at his best tomorrow and go deep into the game. If he doesn’t, the Yankee bullpen is rested and ready. The Yankees have more options in the bullpen than the Red Sox. In a winner-take-all game, the Yankees will pull out all the stops to get into the divisional series with the Tampa Bay Rays.

For those that want to attend the game at Fenway, you had better act quickly, all the good seats are gone, and the standing room only starts at $210. It might be better to watch the 8:08 pm game on television. It will be nationally televised on ESPN. Every Yankee fan will be glued to their TVs in another nail-biter that Yankee fans have come to expect.

 

 

 

Yankees: Cole’s fastball was a problem against the Blue Jays

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yankees, gerrit cole

The New York Yankees let a winnable game slip through their hands on Wednesday, when they fell 6-5 to the Toronto Blue Jays and further complicated the AL Wild Card outlook. At the moment, before Thursday’s games, the Bombers are still in the first Wild Card spot with a 90-68 record, but four clubs remain separated by two games.

During last night’s start, the Yankees couldn’t enjoy a quality outing from their ace, Gerrit Cole. Competing to give New York the best possible chance to win and, additionally, for the Cy Young award, the right-hander allowed nine hits and five earned runs in six innings, increasing his ERA to 3.23.

Per MLB.com, the pitcher said he didn’t feel tired, stating that he has plenty left in the tank. In fact, he will likely be needed in a must-win scenario for his next outing: either the Wild Card game or the final day of the campaign.

The Yankees’ ace wasn’t fooling anyone with the heater

It just wasn’t his night. The Yankees’ ace faced perhaps the best offense in baseball and couldn’t miss too many bats with his signature fastball. In fact, the pitch was getting hammered all night long and he allowed five extra base hits with it.

Two of those hits were home runs, by Marcus Semien and Bo Bichette.

“I think we’re running into some really tough teams,” Cole said. “I just was not quite sharp enough today. That’s just the bottom line. I think that I certainly showed the ability to make the pitches that we needed to over the course of the game; I just didn’t make enough of them.”

The Yankees now have a narrow one-game advantage over the Boston Red Sox, the owners of the second Wild Card. The Seattle Mariners and the Blue Jays lurk.

New York and Toronto will play the series finale tonight at Rogers Centre.

“Physically, I think the velocity is in a good spot,” Cole said. “Things have rebounded well since a couple of those injury mishaps. I’m in a good enough spot to make enough good pitches. I’ve just got to make those pitches at the right times.”

“They definitely came out swinging aggressively at the heater,” catcher Kyle Higashioka said. “The first two innings set the tone. After that, we reined it in, but by then, the main damage was pretty much done.”

New York Yankees 9/30: 4 Takeaways from Yankees loss to the Blue Jays

by
New York Yankees, Jonathan Loaisiga

After an incredible run of winning seven games in a row, the New York Yankees hoped to win another one last night by taking the series from the Blue Jays. The Yankees swept the Red Sox and retook the number one berth in the wild card race, gaining home-field advantage and putting the Red Sox two games behind. With five games to go in the regular season, the Yankees sent their ace Gerrit Cole to the mound at Roger’s Center in Toronto to face the Jays Jose Berrios. At the end of the night, Berrios acted like the Toronto ace and Gole didn’t; the Yankees lost when Bo Bichette hit a homer in the eighth, the Blue Jays edged the Yankees 6-5.

Gerrit Cole is no longer a sure thing

The outlook for New York Yankee ace has changed. After three poor games in a row, when Cole takes the mound, there is no reason to believe the Yankees will win the game. Please make no mistake about it; he is still probably the Yankee’s best starter, but it appears that he has tired; he is not as sharp and not as quick to make the adjustments that he is known to create.

In the past month, Cole lost as many games as he has won; his last three are the worst of the month as the team tries desperately to be in the postseason for a chance at a 28th World Series win. On September 24th, he got a win going six innings only giving up three runs. But also walked three and was taken out before giving up another two runs. In the other two games, he gave up 12 runs, including five home runs. Last night he gave up two home runs, and a total of five earned runs as the Yankees winning streak ended. Cole’s September ERA is 5.13, not the signature of an ace.

Pitching: Who’s hot and who’s not

To the delight of Yankee fans, Jonathan Loaisiga was activated and back off the IL. He has been missing from the Yankees bullpen for 22 days. Last night arguably, the Yankees’ best reliever was back, and he announced it at the bottom of the seventh inning against the Jays; Springer struck out on a 99 mph slider. Semien ground out to LeMahieu. Guerrero ground out to LeMahieu for the 1-2-3 inning.

Last night the usually dependable lights out Clay Holmes gave of the losing run when he allowed Bo Bichette his second homer of the night. But due to how he has been pitching, he can mostly be forgiven. Likewise, most of the bullpen has been doing a great job. Andrew Heaney has proven he is not primetime and has been assigned and is now with low-A Tampa. After a period of undependability, Chad Green and closer Aroldis Chapman seem back on track.

Hitting: Who’s hot and who’s not

For most of the season, especially during the last month, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton have been on a rip, carrying the team on their backs. Stanton, for the first time in his previous five games, didn’t hit a home run. Judge, for his part last night, did drive in his 95th RBI but was also homerless.

Joey Gallo last night was the poster boy for why the Yankees lost. The ordinarily defensive great let a ball drop in front of him when neither he nor the advancing Gio Urshela called for the ball. Gallo was also 0-2 after being 0-5 the previous night. The bottom line is that neither Gallo nor Rizzo are doing the job the Yankees thought they would when they added them at the trade deadline.

Last night with the hot Brett Gardner due up in the seventh, Boone decided to pinch-hit Luke Voit, that failed as the injury-prone Voit struck out and limped off the field. Gio Urshela has been pretty hot this month, but last night he made what might be the defensive play of the season. He managed to dive for a ground ball, caught it, and threw a laser to Rizzo while lying on his back for an out.

Where do the Yankees stand in the wild card race?

Even with the loss last night, the New York Yankees still own the home-field advantage in the wild card game. But with the Red Sox win last night over the Baltimore Orioles, they are just one game behind. So if the Yankees lose tonight and the Sox win, they will be tied for that first spot. Because the Red Sox have the better season record over the Yankees, the home field advantage would revert to Boston, and the game would be played at Fenway Park.

In the race, the Yankees indeed are watching the Seattle Mariners, as the Mariners are just a half-game out of the wild card, and the Jays are just a half-game behind them. The Yankees must win 3 of the season’s last four games to secure a wild card appearance. In the worst-case scenario, if the Yankees don’t win tonight, the Tampa Bay Rays adding an insult to injury after taking the division could also decide the Yankee’s 2021 wild card fate. The Yankees, to save face, must avoid that at all costs. If the Yankees don’t pitch and hit well in these last games, even “Bronxie” the turtle won’t save them.

 

New York Yankees Recap: Yankees lose a squeaker in the eighth at Rogers’ Center

by
yankees, gerrit cole

After an incredible run of winning seven games in a row, the New York Yankees hoped to win another one tonight, taking the series from the Blue Jays. The Yankees swept the Red Sox and, with the win last night, retook the number one berth in the wild card race, gaining home-field advantage and putting the Red Sox two games behind, but the Yankees couldn’t get complacent as the Blue Jays, and Seattle Mariners were nipping at their heels.

With five games to go in the regular season, the Yankees sent their ace Gerrit Cole to the mound at Roger’s Center in Toronto to face the Jays Jose Berrios. At the end of the night, with a homer by Bo Bichette in the eighth, the Blue Jays edged the Yankees 6-5.

The game started with DJ LeMahieu at the plate and Jose Berrio on the mound; LeMahieu went down on strikes. Anthony Rizzo also went down on strikes. Aaron Judge made it three as Berrios stuck out the Yankee side. At the bottom, George Springer doubled. Marcus Semien got a two-run homer into the left-field stands. Vlad Guerrero, with no outs, flew out to Gallo in left. Bo Bichette doubled. Teoscar Hernandez ground out to second, but Bichette went to third. Two outs. Lourdes Gurriel ground out to short. Blue Jays 2 Yankees 0.

The top of the second saw DH Giancarlo Stanton ground out to Bichette at short. Joey Gallo, who went 0-5 last night, flew out to the far center. Gleyber Torres also ground out to short to end the half scoreless. At the bottom, Cory Dickerson flew out to Gallo in left. Santiago Espinal doubled easily up the left-field line. Reese McGuire went down swinging. Springer singled, scoring Espinal. Semien struck out. Blue Jays 3 Yankees 0.

Gio Urshela led off the third inning by popping out to center. Brett Gardner went down on strikes. Kyle Higashioka struck out; Berrios was perfect through three. At the bottom, Guerrero ground out to short. Bichette homered to center. Hernandez struck out. Gurriel struck out. Toronto Blue Jays 4 New York Yankees 0.

The fourth inning was led off by LeMahieu, who ground out to short. Rizzo grounded out to second. Judge ground out up the middle for a perfect four innings for Berrios. At the bottom, with Cole still on the mound, faced Dickerson, who flew out to Gardner in center. Espinal struck out. McGuire flew out to center to end the inning. Blue Jays 4 Yankees 0.

Giancarlo Stanton led off the fifth inning by struck out swinging. Gallo struck out. Torres doubled to left to break up Berrios’ perfect game. Urshela singled, driving in Torres as the Yankees got on the board. Gardner got an RBI double driving in Urshela. Higashioka, with one on and two outs, ground out to first to end the half, but the Yankees picked up two runs. At the bottom, Springer led off by doubling to left both Urshela and Gallo let it fall between them as they both backed off. . Semien flew out to right, but Springer made it to third. Guerrero doubled as Springer scored. Bichette struck out. Hernandez few out to Gardner. Blue Jays 5 Yankees 2.

The sixth inning was led off by LeMahieu, who doubled to center. Rizzo ground out. Judge had a sac fly scoring LeMahieu. Stanton ground out to third to end the half, but the Yankees picked up a run. At the bottom Gurriel out. Dickerson lined out to left. Espinal singled. McGuire flew out to Gardner in center. Blue Jays 5 New York Yankees 3.

Joey Gallo led off the seventh inning by facing new pitcher Tim Mayza and was hit by a pitch. Torres, who broke up the perfect game by Berrios, singled on a slow roller to left, moving Gallo to second. Urshela, with two on and no outs, went down swinging for the first out. Luke Voit pinch-hitting for Gardner struck out. Higashioka got a two-run single, tying the game at 5. LeMahieu faced the new pitcher Adam Cimber and flew out to center, but the Yankees scored two runs to tie up the game. New York Yankees 5 Blue Jays 5.

At the bottom of the inning against Jonathan Loaisiga, Springer struck out on a 99 mph slider. Semien ground out to LeMahieu. Guerrero ground out to LeMahieu for the 1-2-3 inning for Loaisiga after coming off the IL and not pitching for four weeks. Yankees 5 Jays 5.

The eighth inning was led off by Rizzo, who flew out to Hernandez in right. Judge tapped back to the pitcher Cimber. Stanton flew out to the warning track in center to end the half. Bo Bichette led off the bottom of the inning by hitting a homer to center to retake the lead. Hernandez struck out. Gurriel ground to short, and Urshela laid out to get it and threw from his back for the second out. Dickerson chopped out to end the inning, but the Jays retook the lead. Blue Jays 6 Yankees 5.

With last licks on the line for the New York Yankees, Gary Sanchez pinch hit for Joey Gallo leading off and went down looking. Gleyber Torres singled to left. Gio Urshela flew out to center. Torres tagged and made it to second. Tyler Wade pinch-hitting for Gardner flew out to center to end the game.

The final score was the Toronto Blue Jays 6 and the New York Yankees 5. The winning pitcher was Adam Cimber, the loser was Clay Holmes and the save went to Jordan Romano.

 

 

 

 

New York Yankees: Yankees start a crucial three games at Toronto, here’s the preview

by
New York Yankees, Jameson Taillon

The New York Yankees start a three-game series tonight in Toronto, Canada, against the Toronto Blue Jays. It may be the most critical series of the season because the outcome could decide the whole season for the boys from the Bronx. Right now, the Yankees hold onto the number one wild card berth that gives the home-field advantage in the one win or go home game.

The Yankees can’t control what happens to other teams, but they can control their own destiny. Presently the Red Sox are just one game back from the Yankees. The Yankees, to maintain that home-field advantage, must win two of three of these games because the Blue Jays are just one game behind the Red Sox. I stated that there are things they can not control; one of those is that the Red Sox play their next three games against the lowly Baltimore Orioles.

The likelihood of the Sox winning two of three or even sweeping them is a real possibility. However, if the Yankees win two of three and the Sox sweep, both teams will be tied for home-field advantage. The problem is that the Sox already have the better season record against the Yankees and, therefore, will get the nod for that coveted home-field advantage.

For the Yankees to win this series, they will have to play their hearts out, playing their best baseball of the year, as they will face the Blue Jays three best pitchers, including their dual aces in Robbie Ray and Hyun Jin Ryu.

Tonight, September 28, 7:07 pm EDT

Tonight is the first game of a crucial three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays. The New York Yankees will send Jameson Taillon to the mound. The righty is 8-6 with an ERA of 4.41 and 136 strikeouts in 27 starts. The Yankees are not sure what they will get out of Taillon tonight as he hasn’t pitched in 22 days coming off an ankle injury. After not pitching for two years and two Tommy John surgeries, Taillon got off to a slow start this season but improved dramatically over the season, dropping his ERA from 6.23 to 4.41. From July 16 through August 26, the Yankees won all eight of his starts.

But pitching well against the energetic something to prove Blue Jays may be a challenge for Taillon. Bo Bichette, Vlad Guerrero, Randal Grichuk, and Marcus Semien have hit over .300 against him.

Taillon will face the Blue Jays ace, Hyun Jin Ryu. Ryu is a lefty that is 13-9 with a 4.34 ERA and 133 strikeouts. Ryu has faced the Yankees four times this year, the Jays winning three of those games. He most recently faced the Yankees on September 6th; in that win, he allowed the Yankees only three hits in the 8-0 shutout. For Ryu to win tonight, he will have to get by Gary Sanchez, who has 3 home runs off of him in four games. Anthony Rizzo, in 8 at-bats, has a .500 average, including a home run. The big bats of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton have not fared well against him.

Wednesday, September 29, 7:07 pm EDT

Wednesday night contest will feature the Yankee ace Gerrit Cole on the mound for game two. Cole is the winningest Yankee starter with a record of 16-8 and an ERA of 3.08, and an incredible 237 strikeouts. Of the 150 or so starting pitchers, Cole has the second-most wins. Cole missed two weeks of the season with a bout of the Covid virus, which and possibly tiring from the adjustment from a 60 game to 162 game season, seems to have affected Cole. The Yankees have won two and lost two of this last four starts. On September 1, Cole struck out a season-high 15 batters, but it has fallen off dramatically since then. The last time he faced the Blue Jays, he lasted only 3.1 innings striking out 2.

The New York Yankees will face Jose Berrios, a righty that is 12-9 with an ERA of 3.48 and 197 strikeouts. The Yankees have only faced Berrios once this season; the bad news is that they lost that game when he pitched into the seventh inning with 109 pitches and only allowing five Yankees hits. Berrios has a lower ERA in September than Cole, by a full point. For the Yankees to win this game, Cole will have pitch better than Berrios, and Aaron Judge, Anthony Rizzo, and Brett Gardner all have hit well off Berrios and will have to pummel him.

Thursday, September 30, 7:07 pm EDT

The Yankees will send Corey Kluber to the mound in the set’s final game to face the Blue Jays best pitcher, ace Robbie Ray. Kluber is still in comeback mode from a shoulder issue that kept him out three months of the season. He is a righty that is 5-3 with a 3.82 ERA with 80 strikeouts in 15 starts. Kluber started the season slowly with the Yankees but gradually got better to the point of having a no-hitter on May 19th against the Rangers for the only Yankee no-hitter since David Cone’s perfect game in 1999. Since coming back from his injury, the Yankees have won all three of his last starts.

Robbie Ray is in contention and a near-lock for the CY Young award this year. The lefty is 13-6 with a 2.68 ERA and a baseball-leading 244 strikeouts. The Yankees have only faced Ray once this year. It was an April 12th meeting with Gerrit Cole on the mound. Kyle Higashioka powered the Yankees to a win with two home runs in that game. Ray has won three of his five starts during September. The Yankees will have to get out fast and often against Ray because only Higashioka and Gio Urshela have hit well off of him.

Yankees News, 9/25: Bombers take big step forward in Wild Card, good injury news for Taillon

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yankees, gerrit cole

The New York Yankees walked away from Friday evening with an essential win over the Boston Red Sox in the first game of a three-game series. Securing an 8-3 victory, the Yankees now sit just one game back for the top spot in the Wild Card, as the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays remain two games behind Boston and New York.

The Yankees punished starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi, who has had a solid season this year but couldn’t handle a potent batting order that has sparked recently. Eovaldi allowed seven hits and seven earned runs over 2.2 innings, quickly being relieved, but the damage had already been done.

Giancarlo Stanton recorded three hits and four RBIs, showcasing his power, specifically in the third inning when he launched a three-run blast to double the Yankees lead.

Starting second baseman Gleyber Torres also recorded three hits and two RBIs, singling to center in the first inning, driving in Aaron Judge. Torres also homered in the seventh inning to increase the Yankees’ lead to five.

Despite the win, skipper Aaron Boone remained focused on the goal at hand, winning out the rest of the season to guarantee themselves a playoff opportunity.

“They’re all important,” Boone said. “It’s one [win], though. We’ve got to shower this one off. We’ve got another big one tomorrow. We know it’ll be a challenge, but we look forward to it.”

Luckily for the Yanks, pitcher Gerrit Cole bounced back after a tough performance against the Indians last week, where he gave up ten hits and seven runs in just 5.2 innings. Cole lasted 6.0 innings against Boston, giving up five hits and three earned runs, including a homer to Rafael Devers in the sixth inning. If not for that one bad pitch, Cole would’ve walked away with confidence, but his performance was that of an ace, and the team desperately needed him to put together a strong outing in one of the most critical series of the year.

“He’s a great pitcher. He’s our ace. He’s a horse,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “There’s a very short list of people you’d rather hand the ball to.”

Boone also said there’s a good chance that starting pitcher Jameson Taillon returns to the team against Toronto next week, coining a significant addition in the middle of the team’s playoff push.

New York Yankees 9/25: 3 Major takeaways from win over the Red Sox

by
New York Yankees, Nestor Cortes Jr.

Last night the New York Yankees entered one of their most critical series of the season to hold on to a wild-card berth in the postseason. The New York Yankees opened a three-game series with their traditional age-long rivals Boston Red Sox, at Fenway Park in Boston. The Yankees put ace Gerrit Cole on the mound to face one of the Red Sox’s most successful pitchers Nathan Eovaldi in that effort. The effort came up big as the Yankees beat the Red Sox 8-3.

Gerrit Cole gets the job done

New York Yankee ace Gerrit Cole took the mound at Fenway Park last night against one of the best Red Sox pitchers, Nathan Eovaldi, with the hope of bouncing back from one of his worst losses of the season. He did that, although certainly not with dominance. Instead, he had a lot of run support right off the bat with the help of Eovaldi, who just didn’t have it.

Cole went six innings giving up three earned runs and walking 3 for an ERA in the neighborhood of 4.50, not anything to brag about. What should be somewhat disturbing to the Yankees is that Cole had his best months during April and May. During June and July, he was just okay. Unfortunately, September hasn’t been as good pitching really well in only two of five games started. Going into a possible postseason, the Yankees and fans can only hope he can rise to the occasion and has not tired.

It takes a team to support a pitcher

Last night a phenomenon took place that has been absent in so many games this season. The pitchers and players acted like a complete team, with everyone doing their job. And that became evident very early in the game. The Yankees in so many games have relied on late rallies to win nail-biting games. Last night the Yankees made a quick statement by scoring 3 runs in the first inning.

What was so impressive was the Yankees got those three runs with energetic, aggressive play and not via the home run. It’s called small ball. The Yankees did get their homers in the game. The increasingly hot Giancarlo Stanton got a two-run shot in the third inning, and Gleyber Torres got his in the seventh inning. Those runs counted for 3 of the Yankees 8 runs. These rest were achieved by old fashion good baseball. Each Yankee got at least one hit, with Stanton and Torres leading the attack with three apiece.

The Yankees inch closer to the postseason

With the win last night and the Toronto Blue Jays loss, the Yankees inched closer to a sure berth in the wild-card round. With the win over the Rangers in the last game of that series and the win last night, the Yankees are now in sole possession of the second wild-card berth. Also, with the win, the Red Sox are just one game up on them for home-field advantage. If the Yankees can sweep the Red Sox on their own turf, they will have that number one spot and home-field advantage, going into a three-game series with the Blue Jays that are lagging by 2 games with only 8 games remaining in the regular season.

Notes: Game number two of the Red Sox series will be today at 4:10 pm at Fenway Park. Nestor Cortes Jr. will be on the mound for the Yankees and Nick Pivetta for the Red Sox. The game will be televised on the YES Network, NESN, and MLBN out of market. Join me today in the Facebook Yankees group “Yankee fans R US!!” and chat about the game in our live game thread. So Check-in early and hit join!

New York Yankees Recap: Bronx Bombers return as Yankees take game one from from the Red Sox

by
yankees, gerrit cole

Tonight the New York Yankees entered one of their most critical series of the season in an effort to hold on to a wild-card berth in the postseason. The New York Yankees opened a three-game series with their traditional age-long rivals Boston Red Sox, at Fenway Park in Boston. The Yankees put ace Gerrit Cole on the mound to face one of the Red Sox’s most successful pitchers Nathan Eovaldi in that effort. The effort came up big as the Yankees beat the Red Sox 8-3.

DJ LeMahieu started out the game against Eovaldi and singled to right field. Anthony Rizzo followed with a back-to-back single to right. Aaron Judge with two on and no outs bounced one off the center-field wall for a double scoring DJ LeMahieu. Giancarlo Stanton followed by getting an RBI ground out scoring Rizzo. Joey Gallo with Judge on third flew out to left with Judge remaining at third. Gleyber Torres singled scoring Judge from third. Gio Urshela line drove to second to end the half. New York Yankees 3 Red Sox.

At the bottom against Gerrit Cole, Kiki Hernandez walked to lead off the Sox half. Kyle Schwarber reached on a force out. Xander Bogaerts hit into a  6-4-3 double play to end the inning scoreless for the Red Sox. Yankees 3 Red Sox 0.

The second inning was led off by Brett Gardner who lined out to far-right. Kyle Higashioka lined out to short. LeMahieu ground out to short for a 1-2-3 bounce back inning for Eovaldi. At the bottom, Rafael Devers ground out to the shift for out number one. JD Martinez walked. Alex Verdugo struck out on a 100 mph fastball. Hunter Renfroe went down on strikes to keep the Red Sox scoreless.

Anthony Rizzo led off the third inning by doubling off the green monster. Aaron Judge walked. Stanton with two on and no outs hit a three-run home run into the Red Sox bullpen to tack on three Yankee runs. Gallo singled to right. Torres flew out to left for the first out. Urshela ground out. Gardner walked knocking Eovaldi out of the game. Higashioka faced the new Sox pitcher Hirokazu Sawamura with two on and two outs and popped out to the infield, three Sox converged but no one caught the ball, Gallo scored. Red Sox fans were stunned. LeMahieu walked loading the bases for Rizzo who struck out swinging but the Yankees tacked on another run. New York Yankees 7 Red Sox 0.

At the bottom of the inning with Cole having a 7 run lead, Christian Vazquez lined out to Torres at second. Jose Iglesias flew out to Judge in right. Hernandez walked. Schwarber went down on strikes for another scoreless inning for the Red Sox. Yankees 7 Sox 0.

The fourth inning was led off by Aaron Judge who flew out to left. Stanton got a long single off the green monster. Gallo flew out, and Torres lined out. The Red Sox were scoreless in the bottom. The fifth inning was scoreless for both teams. Yankees 7 Red Sox 0.

The Yankees were scoreless in the top of the sixth inning. Then, in the bottom with two on base, Rafael Devers hit a three-run homer off of Cole, making it New York 7 and Boston 3.

In the top of the seventh, Gleyber Torres hit a home run off the top of the left-center wall. Urshela singled. Brett Gardner singled. Higahioka flew out to center field. LeMahieu flew out to the center-field wall. Rizzo lined out to second base, but the Yankees tacked on another run. At the bottom, Clay Holmes took over for Gerrit Cole, facing Renfroe, who grounded out to third base. Vazquez lined out to Rizzo at first. Iglesias beat out an infield pop-up. Hernandez singled. Bobby Dalbec pinch-hitting for Schwarber faced new Yankee pitcher Wandy Peralta and stuck out. New York Yankees 8 Boston Red Sox 3.

The eighth inning was led off by Aaron Judge, who went down looking. Stanton flew out to the Pesky pole. Gallo flew out to the left-center wall as the Yankees went down 1-2-3. At the bottom of the eighth, Bogaerts ground out to Torres at second. Devers ground out to Urshela at short. Martinez walked. Verdugo gound out to Torres to end the inning. New York Yankees 8 Boston Red Sox 3.

Gleyber Torres, who homered in the seventh, led off the top of the ninth by singling to left as he went 3 or 5 in the game. Torres was caught out stealing second. Urshela struck out swinging. Gardner went down looking. With the last licks on the line for the Red Sox, Renfroe came to bat against Chad Green and struck out swinging in the bottom of the night. Vazquez walked. Travis Shaw pinch hit for Iglesias and stuck out. Hernandez flew out to Judge to win game one for the Yankees.

The final score was the New York Yankees 8 and the Boston Red Sox 3. The winning pitcher was Gerrit Cole, and the loser was Nathan Eovaldi.

 

 

New York Yankees: Buckle up buttercup, it’s going to be a tough weekend, here’s the preview

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yankees, gerrit cole

Tonight, the New York Yankees open a three-game weekend series with the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston. This series not only revisits the oldest rivalry in sports, but it is against a team the has won seven straight games and holds the number one berth in the wild-card race. Unfortunately, the Yankees this season have won only 7 of 16 against the Red Sox.

Unless you have been sleeping under a rock for the last few weeks, the Yankees have slipped in and out of holding one of those berths in a winner take all game, that either ends the season or propels them into the divisional series. Presently they hold the number two spot with the Toronto Blue Jays nipping at their heels.

The Yankees have a gargantuan job holding onto that spot as they play the last nine games of the season with teams that are statistically equal or better than they are. The Seattle Mariners are still in the mix as well, just one game behind the Blue Jays. The Yankees have to do well this weekend, at least taking two games from the Red Sox. Tonight toward that goal, they are pitting Yankee ace, Gerrit Cole against Nathan Eovaldi in that park with the famous green monster.

Tonight, September 24, 7:10 pm EDT:

Tonight the Yankees will put their best foot forward with Gerrit Cole on the mound. Cole is the Yankee ace and has won more games than any other Yankee starter. He is 15-8 with an ERA of 3.03 and an incredible 231 strikeouts on the season. Unfortunately, he is coming off his worst start of the season, a loss to the Cleveland Indians when he gave up seven runs in 5.2 innings of work with two home runs allowed. However, Cole will hope to bounce back and prop up the Yankees for a game one win. Cole is going to have to keep Rafael Devers in check. He has two homers off Cole and five RBIs this season.

Cole will face one of the best Red Sox pitchers in Nathan Eovaldi, a righty that is 10-8 with an ERA of 3.58 and 188 strikeouts. The edge in this game goes to Cole but only for a minimal margin. Eovaldi has faced the Yankees twice this season. On June 5th, he earned the 5-2 win over the Yankees. The flame thrower’s changeups mystified the Yankee hitters. On July 24th, he threw 100 pitches and left the game with a 3-0 advantage, but the Sox bullpen blew it when the Yankees came roaring back in the 8th led by Brett Gardner to win it over the Sox 4-3. DJ LeMahieu and Aaron Judge have had Eovaldis number all season long. Both with batting averages over .368.

Tonight’s game will be televised in the New York area in WPIX and its affiliates, NESN, and nationally on ESPN.

Saturday, September 25, 4:10 pm EDT

Saturday will be another tough matchup when relief pitcher turned starter Nestor Cortes Jr. takes the mound for the Yankees. For the most part, other than a few hiccups along the way, Cortes has been brilliant for the Yankees, much more than his stats would suggest. He is a lefty that is 2-2 with a low 2.79 ERA and 94 strikeouts. He has faced the Red Sox twice this season, both no-decisions. He is coming off three of his best outings in a row also for no-decisions. He achieved a season-high 11 strikeouts in a September 15 game.

Cortez will battle for the win against righty Nick Pivetta who is 9-7 with a 4.63 ERA and 159 strikeouts. His sixth loss of the season was against the New York Yankees on August 18th. Anthony Rizzo has six RBI’s off him, and Giancarlo Stanton and Gary Sanchez have been Pivetta killers. Saturday’s game will be on the YES Network, NESN, and MLBN out of the market.

Sunday, September 26, 7:08 pm EDT

The Yankees will send Jordan Montgomery to the mound for the series finale, and the last time the two teams will meet up in the regular season. “Monty” is 6-6 with an ERA of 3.55 and 155 strikeouts. Montgomery is one of two Yankees pitchers that have gotten the least run support in his starts stunting his record. Montgomery is coming off a win against the Rangers and had a season-high 12 strikeouts against the Orioles. Monty will have to be careful with Xander Bogaerts; he has a .438 average off him in 24 at-bats.

Montgomery will face the Boston Red Sox ace Eduardo Rodriguez who is 11-8 with an ERA of 4.97 and 170 strikeouts. E-Rod has not had the best of seasons due to heart problems that kept him off the field in 2020. He is a force to be dealt with, however. He started the season gangbusters, winning his first 5 games in a row, but he has not been as dependable since then, winning only 5 more games in the next three months. Gleyber Torres has hit 3 homers off him, while Joey Gallo generated two long balls in just six at-bats.

The Sunday evening game will be broadcast nationally only on ESPN.

Yankees News: Boone faces big question with Gary Sanchez, huge challenge ahead to close the year

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New York Yankees, Brett Gardner

With the 2021 season winding to an end, the New York Yankees are desperately fighting to gain ground in the Wild Card standings. Currently, they are 0.5 games back from the second spot held by the Toronto Blue Jays. The Boston Red Sox have taken a 1.5 game lead, and with a series coming up against the New York Mets, who have lost five of their last six games, the Yankees could be in a bit of trouble.

Luckily, the Bombers managed to escape on Monday with a victory over the Texas Rangers, who only have 55 wins on the season. With Nestor Cortes Jr. taking the mound, the starter lasted 4.1 innings, allowing five hits and three earned runs. He struck out seven batters over 92 pitches. The bullpen looked solid, giving up just two hits the rest of the way as they often struggle to get going.

The Yankees scored all of their runs in the second and third innings, thanks to a Gary Sanchez homer and a bit of contact hitting in the third. Despite Sanchez launching a long ball, the Yankees have found themselves in a conundrum with the veteran catcher, who has been spotty defensively the past few games. Nonetheless, skipper Aaron Boone still has plenty of faith in Gary, who is currently hitting .211 with 22 homers and 52 RBIs on the season.

“These final two weeks, everything’s up for grabs,” Aaron Boone said before the game. “I’m going to run out there what I think gives us the best chance to win. And I think in Higgy and Gary’s case, I think they both bring a lot of value. We’re going to need both of them to play big roles here down the stretch.”

The Yankees have 11 games remaining, and with their last nine against AL East opponents, their toughest challenges are ahead. Finishing off a three-game series against the Texas Rangers, the Bombers will then head to Boston and Toronto over six days, and then they will finish out the season with Tampa Bay at home.

The two series against Boston and Toronto will end up being the decision-maker for the Wild Card, so the Yanks must be on top of their game. A series sweep against either of those teams would likely give them enough cushion to last the rest of the campaign and walk away with a postseason spot. However, after giving up 22 runs into games against Cleveland over the weekend, there’s a reason to believe the Yankees’ inconsistencies are not going away.

Luckily, the rotation falls in a way that Gerrit Cole will feature against Boston in the first game on Friday evening, so they can put their best foot forward and start strong as they prepare for the toughest stretch of games this season.