By Derek McAdam
May 8, 2024
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The New York Yankees defeated the Houston Astros last night by a score of 10-3, improving to 24-13 on the season. Here’s a recap of the game.
Quick Stats: W: Luis Gil (3-1): 6 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 5 K
L: Justin Verlander (1-1): 5 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
With last night’s win, the Yankees improved to 5-0 against the Astros this season.
The Big Story: After sweeping the Astros during the first series of the season in Houston, the Yankees began the first of three games against the Astros at Yankee Stadium, hoping to repeat what they did in Houston.
The Astros got off to a quick start in the top of the 1st, when Kyle Tucker sent a solo home run into the second deck in right field to give Houston a 1-0 lead. However, in the bottom of the inning, Alex Verdugo sent a three-run home run into the right-center field seats to give the Yankees a 3-1 lead.
Just a couple of innings later in the 3rd, Verdugo got himself another RBI, when he singled to center field to score Juan Soto and extend the Yankee lead to 4-1.
In the following inning, Anthony Volpe, who had a couple of long outs off Verlander, finally connected for a two-run home run, his 4th of the season, to give the Yankees a 6-1 lead.
In the 5th, Giancarlo Stanton hit a 118 mph home run into the left field bullpen to extend the Yankee lead to six runs. Stanton’s home run, combined with Verlander’s 97 pitches, would ultimately knock the 41-year old out of the game at the end of this inning.
In the 6th, Aaron Judge got in on the action with an RBI single that scored Jon Berti and gave the Yankees an 8-1 lead.
While it wasn’t his prettiest outing, Gil gave the Yankees another good outing. He was able to settle down after that Tucker home run, and while he walked several batters, he did not let the Astros get a big hit to cash in.
In the bottom of the 7th, Berti singled to right field with the bases loaded to score Stanton and make the new score 9-1. Volpe then grounded into a fielder’s choice that scored another run and extend the lead to 10-1.
With two outs in the 9th and a ground ball to Berti, it seemed as if the game would be over. But he committed a throwing error to extend the game, to which the Astros were able to pick up a couple of extra runs to make the final score 10-3.
Player of the Game: There’s a toss up between a couple of players, but I’m giving it to Alex Verdugo. He got the Yankees, and the Yankee Stadium crowd, right back in the game early. He also made a few sparking plays in the field.
Notable Performances: Soto had a three-hit game, Volpe knocked in three runs, Berti also had a couple of hits, and the Yankee pitching continues to do well.
Better to Forget: Gleyber Torres was the only starting Yankee that did not get a hit last night, although he did get on base by working a walk. It would’ve been nice to see him at least get a hit.
My Take: Coming off a sweep of Detroit over the weekend and what seemed like the Yankees’ first off-day in nearly three weeks, I was curious to see how they would respond to Verlander and Houston, a team that is near the bottom of the AL West. And they did not let me down.
What I liked most about this game was that they didn’t have a rally in one inning in which they scored many runs. I like spreading out runs over the span of several innings, and the Yankees did just that by scoring in six out eight possible innings. And while Verlander has given the Yankees a hard time over the years, they did not let him have it last night.
As for Gil, there are not enough good things I can say about him. As someone who had a really good Spring Training start that propelled him to replace Gerrit Cole in the starting rotation, he has done much better than I expected him to. Control is his biggest issue, but he has a great arsenal of pitches. I hope that he can continue to blossom into a fine pitcher. While I’d love to see Cole back as quickly as possible, if Gil can continue to pitch well, the Yankees should not try and rush Cole back.
I would love nothing more than the Yankees to sweep another series against the Astros, so let’s go and hope they have another outing like last night’s.
What’s Next?: The Astros and Yankees will be back at it tonight for the second game of the series. Spencer Arrighetti is scheduled to start for the Astros, while Carlos Rodon is set to start for the Yankees. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. EST.
