About Last Night: Yankees 2, Rays 1

By Derek McAdam

June 17, 2022

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About Last Night:

The Yankees won their 14th straight game at Yankee Stadium and improved to 47-16 on the season, after completing a sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays. Anthony Rizzo knocked in both runs for the Yankees, including the walk-off home run, while Clarke Schmidt made a surprise start after Luis Severino landed on the COVID IL.

Quick Stats:

• Ryan Weber: 3.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 K

• Anthony Rizzo: 2-for-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI

• WP: Michael King (4-1)

• LP: Shawn Armstrong (0-1)

The Big Story:

The Yankees did not get much done on offense this series, but they still managed to pull through in the three crucial games against who many would consider their biggest AL East opponent. In the three games against the Rays, the Yankees scored only a combined eight runs. The Rays, though, scored only four runs in being swept. Pitching has been fantastic for the Yankees lately, and that continued to be the case last night.

Last night, Francisco Mejia gave the Rays their only run in the 5th on a solo home run, but Anthony Rizzo responded in the bottom of the 6th with an RBI single. In the bottom of the 9th, Rizzo hit his 16th home run of the season to give the Yankees another win.

Player of the Game:

Anthony Rizzo deserves the honors, as he was the entire offense for the Yankees.

Notable Performances:

Both pitching staffs did tremendously well, so each of them deserve some praise for jobs well done.

Better to Forget:

Joey Gallo seems to have hit another slump, as he went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts.

My Take:

The Yankees just continue to find ways to win. This is a team that is thriving with confidence and has a new identity this year with the addition of defense and pitching. In the previous series, the Yankees lit the Cubs up offensively, but they then turned right around and struggled to score runs against Tampa, who sent out two of their best starters this season to face the Yankees. Still the Yankees managed to sweep the series. It’s only mid-June, but being 31 games over .500 at this mark is almost unfathomable. They most likely cannot keep this pace up for the rest of the season, but it’s giving them vital ground they may need in a couple months time.

Up Next:

The Yankees head to Canada for a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays beginning tonight. Jordan Montgomery is expected to start for the Yankees while Ross Stripling is expected to start for the Blue Jays. First pitch is scheduled for 7:07 pm EST from Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.