Monday, April 28, 2025

Yankees in 1st Place After 1st Month

The Yankees faced the team now known as the Cleveland Guardians in the Playoffs last season, and have faced them in 4 of the last 8 postseasons -- winning all of them. But they knew that beating them in the regular season wouldn't be easy.

Last Monday night, Clarke Schmidt allowed 4 runs in the bottom of the 3rd inning, and that was basically it. The Yankees lost, 6-4, despite getting home runs from Jasson Domínguez and Jazz Chisholm Jr.

But getting a good start doesn't guarantee a win. On Tuesday night, Will Warren allowed 2 runs in 5 innings, and was backed by a Ben Rice home run in the 1st inning and a Chisholm sacrifice fly in the 6th. But Aaron Boone left Warren in for the 6th, and he allowed 2 singles before Boone replaced him with Mark Leiter Jr. A wild pitch, a walk, 2 singles and a double later, and it was 3-2 Cleveland. That was the final score.

Carlos Rodón started on Wednesday night, and after allowing an unearned run in the 1st inning, he was fine, allowing no more runs until the 7th. Paul Goldschmidt got 3 hits, Domínguez and Aaron Judge each got 2, and the Yankees won, 5-1, to salvage the series finale.

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The Yankees came home to play those pesky Toronto Blue Jays. Carlos Carrasco started with 5 shutout innings, throwing 67 pitches. Boone should have left him in for the 6th. He didn't, burning Tim Hill, Ian Hamilton and Fernando Cruz over the 6th, the 7th and the 8th. Hill allowed a home run by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to start the top of the 6th.

In the bottom of the 7th, Anthony Volpe led off with a double, and Oswaldo Cabrera singled him home. In the bottom of the 8th, Cody Bellinger doubled, Chisholm drew a walk, Volpe was hit with a pitch, and Austin Wells brought Bellinger home with a sacrifice fly. The Yankees led, 2-1, going into the top of the 9th inning.

Boone brought Devin Williams in to close. I realize that all Yankee relievers after Mariano Rivera will fall short of him, but do they have to fall this far short? He pitched to the now-mandated minimum of 3 batters: He gave up a single to George Springer, he hit Andrés Giménez with a pitch, and he gave up a double to Alejandro Kirk. Boone brought Leiter in, and he gave up a double to Addison Barger.

Rice doubled with 2 out, but that was all the Yankees would get in the bottom of the 9th. Jays 4, Yanks 2. Boone announced that the much-hyped Williams, with 36 saves in 2023, and a 1.83 ERA and a 1.023WHIP in what amounted to 4 full seasons as a Milwaukee Brewer, but an 11.25 ERA and a 2.375 WHIP as a Yankee, would no longer be the closer.

After that horrible Friday night meltdown, Saturday's game was rained out, setting up an old-fashioned single-admission doubleheader for yesterday. And when Max Fried allowed a run in the 1st inning of the 1st game, it looked bleak for the Pinstripes.

Fried was fantastic the rest of the way, getting through the 6th inning with no further runs. The Yankees exploded for 6 runs in the bottom of the 3rd. Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you. With 1 out, Cabrera and Rice drew walks, Judge singled, Bellinger hit a sacrifice fly; then 3 straight walks by Goldschmidt, Chisholm and Volpe; the Wells doubled.

The Yankees got 3 more runs in the 7th, including a homer by Volpe, and another in the 8th, to win, 11-2. Fried is now 5-0.

Schmidt bounced back with a good start in the 2nd game, allowing 1 run over 5 innings. The Yankees got home runs from Trent Grisham in the 1st, Judge in the 6th, and J.C. Escarra in the 8th, and the Yankees won, 5-1. Tim Hill was the winning pitcher.

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So, after a full month of play, the Yankees lead the American League Eastern Division by 2 games over the Boston Red Sox, 3 over the Tampa Bay Rays, 4 over the Toronto Blue Jays, and 6 1/2 over the Baltimore Orioles. Cliché Alert: In the all-important loss column, they lead the Sox and Rays by 3 each, the Jays by 4, and the O's by 6.

Tonight, they start a new series in Baltimore. Since Gleyber Torres is no longer a Yankee, where the Orioles put the left-field fence will no longer be an issue.

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