About Yesterday: Yankees 9, Angels 3

By Derek McAdam

April 21, 2023

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In a rubber game matchup against the Los Angeles Angels, the New York Yankees took the series victory with a 9-3 win, keeping their streak alive of being the only team left in MLB to not lose a series. With the win, the Yankees also improved to 12-7 on the season.

Quick Stats: W: Nestor Cortes Jr. (3-0), 6+ IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K

L: Patrick Sandoval (1-1), 4 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 6 BB, 5 K

Anthony Rizzo: 3-for-3, 2 BB, 2 R, RBI

Big Story: The Yankees came into yesterday’s game looking to take the series win after Wednesday night’s walk-off victory. It did not take long to get things going, either. After Anthony Volpe walked to lead off the 1st, Aaron Judge followed with a single. Rizzo then knocked a single into center field to score Volpe and give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. With the bases loaded, Oswald Peraza walked to drive in Judge and extend the Yankee lead to 2-0. However, Jose Trevino broke the game wide open early with a bases-clearing three-run double to give the Yankees a 5-0 lead after just one inning.

In the 5th, Logan O'Hoppe singled to left to put the Angels on the board with a 5-1 Yankee lead. Taylor Ward then drove in a second run with a sacrifice fly to cut the Yankee lead to 5-2. In the 7th, O’Hoppe doubled to left to cut the Yankee lead to 5-3, but DJ LeMahieu gave the Yankees a run back in the bottom of the inning with an RBI double down the left field line. Several batters later, Isiah Kiner-Falefa delivered a much-needed hit with a two-run single to give the Yankees some additional insurance runs, putting the score at 8-3.

In the 8th, Peraza singled to left field too, driving a run in and giving the Yankees a 9-3 lead. Greg Weissert would come in the 9th inning to finish out the game, and give the Yankees another series victory.

Player of the Game: When you reach base five times in a game, it is hard for anyone else to take the top honor. Rizzo is definitely deserving of this award, and continues to produce at the plate.

Notable Performances: While Cortes’ streak of nine straight starts of allowing two runs or less came to a halt, he was still able to give the Yankees a quality outing and pick up his third victory of the season. Isiah Kiner-Falefa also deserves some recognition. His performance in center field wasn’t the prettiest, but he made two nice catches and also got a much-needed hit for not only the team, but for himself, in the 7th.

O’Hoppe also deserves some recognition, as he had a three-hit day for the Angels. O’Hoppe seemed to have suffered a shoulder injury in the 9th that took him out of the game. Hopefully, there is nothing serious there and he can return to the field as quickly as possible.

Better to Forget: Oswaldo Cabrera was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and also grounded into a double play. He was also the only Yankee starter to not reach base.

My Take: It is great to see the Yankees come behind from losing of the first game of the series to taking the next two games and winning the series. The Yankees were able to take advantage of Sandoval’s rough 1st inning and drive five runs across. What’s even better is that with two strikes in the count and two outs, Trevino was able to clear the bases with his double. The Yankees have struggled in that department this year, and for the past few, but that was very satisfying to see.

Once again, Cortes gave the Yankees another solid start. It’s even harder to believe that he isn’t even the best starter in the rotation. With the surplus of injuries to the rotation, Gerrit Cole and Cortes were both going to be counted on more than ever to help lead them through, and they have done just that.

The Yankees are facing their toughest competition so far this year when Toronto comes to town this weekend. Taking two out of three would be big for the Yankees, but it is not going to be a walk in the park. It should be a fun weekend at Yankee Stadium.

What’s Next?: As mentioned above, the Yankees welcome the Blue Jays to town for three games beginning tonight. Yusei Kikuchi is scheduled to start for the Blue Jays, while Domingo German is set to go for the Yankees. The game is scheduled for a 7:05 p.m. first pitch, and will be broadcast on Apple TV+.