About Yesterday Afternoon: NYY 6, PHI 5

By Ethan Semendinger

August 1st, 2024

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The Yankees just swept the best team (by record) in the National League. Hopefully that bad stretch is finally behind them.

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Quick Stats -

• Winning Pitcher: Nestor Cortes (5-9, 4.16 ERA)

• Losing Pitcher: Cristopher Sanchez (7-7, 3.36 ERA)

• Save: Clay Holmes (22)

• Home Runs (New York): DJ LeMahieu (2)

• Home Runs (Philadelphia): Weston Wilson (2)

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Big Story - If teams were limited to making just 1 move per trade deadline, I would say the Yankees did a fantastic job this year by bringing in Jazz Chisholm. Any reader of this site over the last week or so knows that I was all-in on getting him, and watching him do his thing is extremely exciting.

However, teams can make as many moves as they want at the trade deadline. The Yankees made 4: getting Chisholm, Mark Leiter Jr., Enyel De Los Santos, and trading away Caleb Ferguson. (Just for fun: The Marlins- though sellers- made 6 trades on Tuesday alone!) It was not enough.

The Yankees will be riding out hope from here on out that players like DJ LeMahieu can fix a failed season. Players like Giancarlo Stanton will come back healthy and immediately produce. Players like Alex Verdugo and Anthony Volpe will re-find their early season success. And the pitching (as a whole) will improve.

For now, here was the line-up for the final game in the three-game series against the Phillies, as the Yankees looked for the sweep:

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Player of the Game -

• DJ LeMahieu: 2-4, Double, GRAND SLAM, 2 Runs, 6 RBI's

Notable Performances -

• Nestor Cortes: 5.1 Innings, 3 Hits, 3 Runs (3 ER), 2 Walks, 6 Strikeouts

• Clay Holmes: 1.0 Innings, 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 Walks, 0 Strikeouts

• Giancarlo Stanton: 2-4, Run

• Alex Verdugo: 1-3, 2 Runs, 1 Walk

• Juan Soto: 1-3, 1 Walk, 1 Strikeout
  

Better to Forget -

• Aaron Judge: 0-4, 4 Strikeouts

• Gleyber Torres: 0-5, 1 Strikeout
  

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The Game - I have to be honest, I did not expect for Nestor Cortes to have a good day. In his last 3 starts, he had not pitched into the 6th inning. Combined over all three, he allowed 15 runs in just 13.1 innings. In his last 10 starts (going back to the beginning of June) the Yankees had won just 2 of them. He allowed fewer than 3 runs in just 3 of them. He went 6+ innings in just 3 of them as well. Long story short, Nestor Cortes has been bad.

It also should be noted that, just two days ago, there were rumors out there that Nestor Cortes could be traded away to capitalize on a hot sellers market for starting pitchers.

So, how did Nestor do? Well...he went perfectly through the first 3 innings (9 batters) of the game. In the 4th inning, a lead-off walk was followed by a double, and though both would eventually come around to score, Nestor wasn't getting hit overly hard. In the 5th inning, Weston Wilson started off with a lead-off home run, but that was the worst Nestor was hit all day. He would end the 5th without more damage, and get Bryce Harper to flyout to start the 6th before getting pulled. In 5.1 innings pitched, Cortes allowed 3 runs.

Was it good? No. But, it was a lot better than I was expecting. And, the Yankees were playing well enough to make it a game.

The Yankees offense also went down 1-2-3 to start the game, however, Giancarlo Stanton and Jazz Chisholm started the 2nd inning with back-to-back singles. After a Volpe strikeout, Alex Verdugo worked a tough walk, and then- believe it or not- DJ LeMahieu came up with a big hit.

A GRAND SLAM!

The 3rd inning featured two more singles, but didn't end with runs after a double-play. The 4th inning went 1-2-3. The 5th inning featured a bunt pop out by Gleyber Torres (who was trying to bunt over back-up catcher Carlos Narvaez, who got on with a single to start the inning), followed by strikeouts from Soto and Judge.

In the 6th inning, 2-out singles from Anthony Volpe and Alex Verdugo brought back up DJ LeMahieu. The Phillies were worried about a sub-.200 hitter and went to the bullpen...who immediately allowed a hard hit 2-RBI double. DJ LeMahieu had a career-high 6 RBI's. He started the game hitting .173 with a .216 SLG and a 38 OPS+.

If Nestor pitching well was unexpected, I don't have a word to explain how out-of-the-blue DJ LeMahieu popping off was.

But, baseball games don't end after 5 and a half innings. Though the 7th, 8th, and 9th inning, the Yankees offense got just one more baserunner from a Juan Soto walk. The bullpen would need to hold.

Luke Weaver replaced Nestor Cortes in the bottom of the 6th in a 6-3 game. He immediately allowed a triple to Alec Bohm, who scored on a groundout in the next at-bat. (Yankees 6, Phillies 4.) Weaver escaped the rest of the inning without any more damage.

Weaver came back out for the 7th, allowing a lead-off single, getting a groundout, and then he got pulled for Tommy Kahnle. Kahnle allowed a walk, but worked a strikeout and (long) flyout to end the inning. No damage done- though the flyout was just a foot or two higher from being a go-ahead 3-run homerun.

In the 8th, Mark Leiter worked, and got hit. Alex Bohm hit a 1-out double, followed by an RBI single from Nick Castellanos. (Yankees 6, Phillies 5.) Leiter would get his second out via strikes, but a single and hit-by-pitched followed to load the bases.

But, Leiter got Brandon Marsh to strike out.

And, the Yankees went to Clay Holmes for the 9th inning, in a 1 run game. The day after be blew a save in another tight game.

He started off the 9th by allowing a single.

And then a flyout.

And then a groundout, that was turned into a double play.

YANKEES WIN! YANKEES SWEEP THE PHILLIES!

***

The Yankees swept the Phillies. In the first game they dominated 14-4. In the second game, the Yankees outlasted them 7-6 in 12 inning. In yesterday's game, the Yankees got ahead first and were able to hold.

I will stand by my belief that the Yankees are still not built as good as they could've been. I will continue to think that the Yankees should have traded for another bat (Yandy Diaz), another starting pitcher (Erick Fedde or Jack Flaherty), and some bullpen pieces (Ryan Yarbrough, David Bednar, etc).

I know not all of those players were available. But, in a year where you have Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, not going all-in at the deadline was a mistake. I hope it is a mistake that doesn't show itself ever. I hope the Yankees horrible stretch is behind them. I hope Leiter and De Los Santos and Chisholm become great Yankees.

But, they could've- and should've- done more.

One game does not prove DJ LeMahieu is "back". Just like how one good play does not make a poor defender great.

I am hopeful that the Yankees are back to their early season form. However, I am weary. The last month took a big toll on my passion. Wins- and series- like these will win it back.

Let's go Yankees!

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Next Up - Tonight, the Yankees are off. (Enjoy the off day!)

Tomorrow, the Yankees (65-45) will come back home to the Bronx to face off the against the Toronto Blue Jays (50-59). The Yankees are set to send Marcus Stroman (7-5, 3.64 ERA) on the mound against the Blue Jays' Kevin Gauman (9-8, 4.44 ERA). Coverage begins at 7:05 PM on YES.