Has Frazier Snapped the Yanks Out of It?

Cher turned 75 on May 20. She shared her exact date of birth with the late Yankee Legend Bobby Murcer. Both were born 2 days after another Yankee Legend, Reggie Jackson.

Cher is famous for many things, including the scene in the film Moonstruck where she slaps Nicolas Cage and yells, "Snap out of it!"

The Yankees have needed to snap out of a slump full of losing and weak hitting for a while. The 2nd game of their 4-game home series with the Tampa Bay Rays was the right time to do so.

Domingo German started for the Yankees. He allowed a 2-run home run in the 1st inning. For the next 4 innings, he was mostly fine. Overall, he went 5 innings, allowing 3 runs on 3 hits, with no walks, and 5 strikeouts.

Cliche Alert: But the Yankees needed to hit. They didn't get their 1st baserunner until 2 were out in the bottom of the 3rd. Tyler Glasnow was pitching perfectly for the Rays. But then...

Cliche Alert: Walks can kill you. Clint Frazier drew one. DJ LeMahieu and Rougned Odor singled to load the bases. The batter was Aaron Judge, and if you were thinking, "Inning-ending strikeout," you weren't alone. Except he drew a walk, forcing home a run. Then, with Gio Urshela up, Glasnow threw a wild pitch, scoring LeMahieu and tying the game. It could have been more, but Urshela flew out.

Miguel Andujar gave the Yankees the lead with a home run in the bottom of the 4th. But the Rays came back with their own round-tripper to tie it back up in the top of the 5th.

And 3-3 it remained, with great bullpen work by Wandy Peralta, Jonathan Loaisiga, Chad Green, Aroldis Chapman, Lucas Luetge and Luis Cessa. Between them, they pitched 6 innings, allowing no runs and no hits, albeit 6 walks.

The Yankees had a chance to win it in the bottom of the 9th. With 2 out, Brett Gardner drew a walk and stole 2nd. Frazier drew another walk. But LeMahieu hit a line shot to 2nd base to end the inning.

Extra innings. Ghost runner. In this case, LeMahieu. Odor grounded out, sending LeMahieu to 3rd. Judge up. Hopes rising. The Rays did the smart thing, and walked him intentionally. Urshela struck out. Gleyber Torres came up. Judge took 2nd base on defensive indifference. Torres drew a walk. Bases loaded.

The batter was Gary Sanchez. He had doubled earlier in the game, but had also made a baserunner blunder. Still, the crowd was behind him, chanting, "Let's go, Ga-ry!" But he struck out, and the crowd booed like crazy.

The Yankees had survived the ghost runner situation in the top of the 10th, and survived it again in the top of the 11th. They led off the bottom of the 11th with the much-maligned Sanchez on 2nd. Against Andrew Kittredge, Andujar grounded to short. It was not enough to get Sanchez to 3rd. Gardner grounded to 1st. That was enough to get Sanchez to 3rd.

Frazier came up. For most of the season thus far, he'd been hitting and fielding better. But his hitting took a nosedive. So had everybody else's, it seemed. This time, he drilled one to left field, for a walkoff home run.

Yankees 5, Rays 3. WP: Cessa (1-0). No save. LP: Kittredge (5-1).

Has Frazier's walkoff homer snapped the Yanks out of it? I sure hope so.

The series continues tonight. Jordan Montgomery starts against Shane McClanahan. Come on you Pinstripes!