A "Really Good, Gutsy Win" for Yanks, Despite Umpires

The Yankees concluded a 3-game series away to the Cleveland Guardians yesterday afternoon. Manager Aaron Boone, knowing he had a hole in his starting rotation, made the mistake of putting Clarke Schmidt into it. For the 3rd time in this young season, Schmidt proved unequal to the task, going 4 innings, allowing 3 runs.

Not that it was all his fault. In the bottom of the 1st inning, Josh Naylor hit a looper to center field, and, at first, it looked like Aaron Hicks caught it, then threw to 2nd base for a double play, which would have ended the inning with the score 0-0. That was the call the umpires initially made.

Then, a replay was shown on the giant left-field scoreboard at Progressive Field, and it showed that Hicks had actually trapped the ball. The Cleveland fans roared, and the umpires met to look at an instant replay themselves.

Now, by all rights, that should absolutely be allowed. If one umpire thinks another made a mistake, they should be able to confer, and use replay get the call right.

But that's not the rule in Major League Baseball. The rule is, the manager of the team that the incorrect call hurt has 15 seconds after the conclusion of the play to tell the umpires that he wants to challenge the call. Whether you think that rule is just or not, it is in place.

And Indians manager Terry Francona -- also the manager of the Boston Red Sox when they cheated their way past the Yankees to win the 2004 and 2007 World Series, not that I know of any way he is responsible for any of the cheating -- did not appeal within 15 seconds.

So Boone came out of the dugout to defend his team. This is one thing he is really good at. (Remember the "savages in that box" rant?) Essentially, he was telling the umps to follow their own rule.

Instead, they threw him out of the game for arguing, looked at the replay, and reversed the call. Which was the right thing to do, morally -- but the wrong thing to do, ethically. Rules are rules, and if the umpires won't follow their own rules, then what good are they?

Things got worse for the Yankees after that: After Schmidt struck Andrés Giménez out, Josh Bell singled to bring a run home. In the 3rd inning, Ahmed Rosario took Schmidt deep. It was 3-0 Cleveland.

Later, in the 5th inning, 2nd base umpire Larry Vanover was hit in the face by a relay throw from Giménez. It appeared to be a complete accident. He was taken to the Cleveland Clinic, where he was being checked for a concussion and other injuries.

"He's going to be at the hospital for the rest of the night maybe," plate umpire Chris Guccione said. "I'm glad he was able to walk and get to the hospital. That was scary. Very hard to focus after that after you see a colleague get hit."

The umpires should never ben the story of the game -- either through incompetence, corruption, or injury.

Fortunately, the game would not end with the umpires having an unfortunate effect on the result. With 1 out in the top of the 5th, Oswaldo Cabrera, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Kyle Higashioka all singled, making it 3-2 Cleveland. It was on Higashioka's single that Giménez made the throw that hit Vanover.

Franchy Cordero tied the game with a home run in the 7th. Ron Marinaccio pitched a scoreless 5th for the Yankees, Michael King a perfect 6th and 7th, and Wandy Peralta a scoreless 8th. With 1 out in the 9th, Giancarlo Stanton reached 2nd on a throwing error. Gleyber Torres was sent in to pinch-run for him. After Cordero struck out, Cabrera, singled Torres home with the go-ahead run.

Clay Holmes came out to pitch the bottom of the 9th. He got a groundout, then hit a batter. He got a fielder's choice to get the lead runner, then walked the next 2 batters. Memories of Aroldis Chapman filled the air. But Holmes brought back a different memory of Chapman by striking the next batter out to end it.

Yankees 4, Guardians 3. WP: Peralta (1-0). SV: Holmes (4). LP: Emmanuel Clase (1-1). Boone called it "A really good, gutsy win right there." Like a lot of what he said, it was a platitude. He could even have issued a Cliché Alert. However, let it be known that a saying becomes a cliché by containing some truth.

The Yankees come home, beginning a long homestand tonight: 4 games against the Minnesota Twins, 3 against the Toronto Blue Jays, and 3 against the Los Angeles Angels. Tonight's starting pitching matchup is set to be Jhony Brito against Joe Ryan.