By Derek McAdam
September 13, 2023
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The New York Yankees swept the doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park yesterday, winning by scores of 3-2 in Game 1 and 4-1 in Game 2.
Quick Stats: Game 1: W: Jhony Brito (7-7): 2.1 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 2 K
L: Nick Pivetta (9-9): 5.1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 10 K
S: Clay Holmes (19): 1 IP, 3 BB
One noteworthy stat about Game 1 is that every single Yankee batter had at least one strikeout in this game, with five players having two. The team struck out 14 times this game.
Game 2: W: Carlos Rodon (3-5): 5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 9 K
L: Josh Winckowski (3-2): 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB
S: Nick Ramirez (1): 1 IP, 1 K
In Game 2, Oswaldo Cabrera was the only Yankee to not strike out. Gleyber Torres was the only Yankee that struck out to not strike out twice. The team struck out 15 times total in Game 2.
Big Story: The Yankees were rained out Monday night, so Game 1 of the doubleheader was the make-up game. While Randy Vasquez gave the Yankees three solid innings to start the game, he gave up a solo home run to Rafael Devers in the 4th, giving the Red Sox a 1-0 lead. Triston Casas then scored on a wild pitch to extend the Red Sox lead to 2-0.
However in the 6th, the Yankees put together a small rally with DJ LeMahieu driving the first Yankee run of the afternoon across the plate to cut the Red Sox lead down to 2-1. Torres then hit a two-run single to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead.
In Game 1, it was a story of how well the bullpen performed. A combination of Brito, Tommy Kahnle, Wandy Peralta, and Clay Holmes kept the Red Sox from scoring any runs. However, the Red Sox came very close to tying the game, if not winning it.
In the 9th, Holmes walked the bases loaded, but got Alex Verdugo to ground into a game-ending double play, securing the Yankee win and getting the team back to .500.
In Game 2, Ceddanne Rafaela hit his first career home run on the first pitch that Rodon delivered to begin his night, giving the Red Sox a 1-0 lead. However, Estevan Florial would deliver an RBI single in the 5th to tie the game at 1-1.
While Rodon gave up the leadoff home run and got himself into trouble in the 1st, he ended up giving the Yankees five innings while striking out nine.
In the 6th, Jake Bauers reached on a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded, scoring Torres and giving the Yankees a 2-1 lead. The Yankees then extended their lead in the 9th with a bases loaded RBI single from Torres to extend the lead to 3-1. Austin Wells then reached first on a catcher’s inference call, scoring another run and giving the Yankees a 4-1 lead.
Ramirez came on in the bottom of the 9th to close out the game for the Yankees, his first save of the season. The Yankees improved to 73-72 on the year with the Game 2 win.
Player(s) of the Games: As I’ve done before, I’m going to give this honor to the entire bullpen. In both games, the bullpen kept the Red Sox off the board and kept the Yankees in the games, as they had to come from behind in both games to win. It was great to see, especially from some of the less familiar names.
Notable Performances: In both games Gleyber Torres came through with big hits. In the first game, he sent the go-ahead run across the plate and he gave the Yankees an insurance run in the second game. Kyle Higashioka also had a three-hit game in the first game.
Better to Forget: I don’t think I’ve ever said this before, but it was a day to forget for Aaron Judge. He was unable to record a hit in either game and just looked off at the plate. His average continues to decline, as it now sits at .256.
My Take: It’s always nice to sweep a doubleheader, especially against Boston at Fenway Park. And while it’s nice for the team to be back above .500, there were a couple of things that really bothered me about these two games.
First, 29 strikeouts combined between the two games is simply not good at all. More than 50% of the outs yesterday were strikeouts, and that’s completely unacceptable. The Yankees also left 17 men on base between the two games. They could’ve scored many more runs, but failed to hit in many spots with runners on.
Now that I’ve gotten my negativity out, let’s get back to the good things. The bullpen was absolutely phenomenal yesterday, and I was glad to see some unfamiliar names in the second game, particularly Zach McAllister, Anthony Misiewicz, and Matt Bowman, all of whom delivered scoreless appearances. While they still got into some trouble, they all managed to escape without any harm.
What I really liked about yesterday was that most of the younger players contributed in one way or another. Whether it be Cabrera leading off the rally in the 9th or Wells battling at the plate to ultimately reach on catcher’s interference, the younger guys were able to contribute. The Yankees, and fans, would surely like to see more of this as the season winds down. After all, these guys are trying out for a spot on next year’s Opening Day roster at this point.
It was a couple of nice, and rare wins, for the Yankees, as it seems to have been a long time since they last swept a doubleheader. Hopefully, they can carry this momentum into tonight’s game (if it's not rained out) and get the series victory.
What’s Next?: The Yankees and Red Sox are scheduled to meet for the third of four games tonight at Fenway Park. Clarke Schmidt is scheduled to take the mound for the Yankees, while Tanner Houck is scheduled to take the mound for the Red Sox. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m., however the Yankees may be looking at another rainout. Hopefully, baseball will still be played.
Listening to Kay and Cone last night, one would have thought Rodon was a cy young candidate and the Yanks and Bosox were battling for a playoff spot. Those two continue to insult our intelligence.
As I said in the game thread, I doubt I've ever felt as blah about a double-header sweep at Fenway. I don't think I've ever felt blah about any sweep of the Red Sox, ever.
For me, the only enjoyable story line was the triumph of the Killer M's (McAllister, Misiewicz, and Matt (Bowman)). I love stories of perseverance leading to success. I hate all the Yankee injuries in the bullpen, but the small silver lining is that they gave these guys a chance, and for one night at least, they played like stars.