About Last Night: The Yankees Crushed the Red Sox 8-1

About Last Night: The Yankees Crushed the Red Sox 8-1

By Tim Kabel

June 15, 2024

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The Yankees played their 72nd game of the year last night but their first against the Red Sox this season. It seems a little late in the year to be playing their first game against their arch-rival. However, that's what happens when you play every team. 

The Yankees have outscored their opponents 59-22 in the first inning this year.  Getting off to a fast start in individual games and on the season as a whole has been the calling card for the Yankees in 2024. They need to continue that and accumulate as many wins as they possibly can. After they play the Red Sox, they will have three games against the Orioles, which is a much bigger test. We will see if they can maintain their momentum through the weekend and into next week.

In a non-baseball aside, I felt that I was doing very well in my retirement and accomplishing a great deal. Then I received an e-mail today stating that at the end of this month, Johnny Cash will be releasing a new album. He has been dead for 21 years. When someone is doing more in their afterlife than you are in your actual life, it sort of takes the wind out of your sails. (Editor's note - but Johnny never wrote for SSTN.)

Quick Stats – 

·       Alex Verdugo had a triumphant return to Boston, with 3 hits, including a home run, and 4 RBI, which tied his career high.

·       Alex Verdugo and Roger Maris are the only two Yankees to have 7 or more total bases and 4 RBI in their first game against the Red Sox

·       The Yankees have 50 wins and are 28 games over .500.

·       The Red Sox were 1-11 with runners in scoring position.

·       Luis Gil struggled, but is now 9-1 and the Yankees are 12-2 in his starts.

·       On June 14, 1952, Boston Braves’ scout Dewey Griggs signed 18-year-old Henry Aaron to a contract.

The Big Story –  

Gerrit Cole pitched 4.1 innings in his minor league rehab game, striking out 10. He will be joining the Yankees soon. Think of the rotation they will have with Cole, Luis Gil, Carlos Rodon, Marcus Stroman, and Nestor Cortes. By the time Cole rejoins the team, they should have well over 50 wins already. Nothing is guaranteed but, by accumulating wins and building up momentum now, the Yankees will put themselves in a much better position heading into the playoffs. 

We are midway through June and the Yankees already have 50 wins. If they maintain this pace, they will have 68 wins going into the All-Star break. They could conceivably have more wins by the middle of August than they did all last year. To make this a truly special season, the Yankees need to win the last game on the Major League Baseball schedule for this season. Again, this will mean nothing if they can't win the big games in the postseason. What the Yankees are doing now is terrific but in order for it to have any real significance, it needs to be maintained throughout the season and all the way until the last game of the year.

Player of the Game – 

Alex Verdugo was the Homecoming King.

Notable Performances –

• Caleb Ferguson struck out all 4 batters he faced.

• Michael Tonkin closed out the game, allowing no hits in 1.1 innings. He now has an ERA of 2.35.

• Anthony Rizzo had two hits and an RBI which is extremely noteworthy, considering how unproductive he has been this season.

Better to Forget – 

Not much went wrong last night. We need more of these games.

My Take –  

The Yankees already have fifty wins and they have won more games than any other team in Major League Baseball. They are in first place even though their best starting pitcher has not pitched one inning in the Major Leagues yet this season. But he will be doing so soon. Everything looks very good for the Yankees right now.

The Yankees will face a major test this week. On Tuesday, they will begin a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles, who are their stiffest competition in the American League East, and probably in the American League. 

The Orioles are a very tough, competitive, young team. They are loaded. They won the American League East last year. How the Yankees do against the Orioles this week will be a good barometer for the rest of the season. They are only three games, but they are important games. It will give the Yankees and the Orioles an opportunity to see how they match up against each other at this point in the season. It is extremely likely that both teams will add players down the stretch.

The Yankees are built to win now. However, it would not be too difficult to make the Yankees a team that can win now and well into the future. If they do sign Juan Soto and bring up Jasson Dominguez at some point later this season, they will start to have a core of players who could be there for quite a while. Anthony Volpe is becoming a star. Aaron Judge is not going anywhere, nor should he. I expect the Yankees to add a few pieces before the trade deadline. Who they add will be very important. If they acquire people who are just short-term band aids, that will send a message that they are committed to winning right now. If however, they acquire people who can help them improve now and into the future, that will show that they are committed to being contenders for quite a while. Let's see what they do.

Next Up – 

Tonight, the Yankees play the second game of the three-game series against the Boston Red Sox at 7:15 PM at Fenway Park. Carlos Rodon (9-2, 2.93 ERA) will face Boston’s Cooper Criswell, (3-3, 4.13 ERA). Let's hope the Yankees get Cooper over a barrel.