By Tamar Chalker
April 4, 2024
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The Yankees have started 2024 off with a bang, despite taking on two tough competitors on the road. After dropping their first game of the season on Tuesday night, New York was ready to start a new win streak in the rubber match against Arizona. It took some late-inning theatrics, but the Yankees pulled off an 11th inning 6-5 victory.
Quick Stats - Clay Homes picked up his first win of the season and held onto his 0.00 ERA. Caleb Ferguson took the save after striking out a pair in the bottom of the eleventh.
Scott McGough ended up with the loss after a balk and a pair of hits gave the Yankees a 6-4 lead. It was a particularly rough loss for the relief pitcher who had his first major league at bat with two outs and the bases loaded. He struck out on a generous call by the umpire to end the game.
The Yankees' offense was driven by a couple of season first homers by Aaron Judge and Alex Verdugo.
Big Story - The Yankees have shown some great grit early in this season. After falling behind early they took the lead and each time the Diamondbacks tied the game up, the Yankees had an answer. There were a couple of mistakes that could have been the end for them, such as Anthony Volpe's 10th inning error and Clay Holmes wild pitch, but the Yankees always bounced back.
Player(s) of the Game - Aaron Judge went 2-4 with a homer, a double, three RBIs and a walk.
Notable Performances - Carlos Rodón put together another decent start. He went 5.1 and scattered 7 hits, allowing just two runs on two solo homers. He walked two and struck out three. Rodón had good movement and zip on his fastball and continues to show improvement over last season.
Ian Hamilton went 2.2 innings and held Arizona scoreless and hitless with 4 Ks.
Anthony Rizzo and Gleyber Torres both went 2-5, while Alex Verdugo picked up his first Yankee homer.
Better to Forget - Anthony Volpe had a tough day at the plate and in the field. He went 0-5 and had a costly error in extra innings.
My Take - The Yankees are already looking like a completely different team than last year. This is a team that doesn't seem shaken by any missteps or finding themselves down. Last year you knew they had the potential to get back into games, but they often didn't. This year everyone seems to be taking their turns producing. For example, Juan Soto had an off day at the plate, but Judge connected with some big hits.
Wednesday's game showed the Yankees' resilience in a few key ways. The bullpen continues to be solid. Even when they have a hiccup they come back and minimize the damage.
Additionally, Volpe's error had the potential to lead to an Arizona victory. He made a bad throw that was almost saved by Rizzo, but was knocked loose by the runner's helmet. A few pitches later, Volpe fielded a tough hit up the middle that tied the game. While he wasn't able to get the runner at first he made a solid play on the ball.
Next Up - The Yankees have played seven straight days, so they get today off as they travel back to the Bronx. On Friday, they will host the Toronto Blue Jays for the season home opener. Marcus Stroman will be living his childhood dream, making his first start Yankees home start. He threw six scoreless innings against Houston in his last start, scattering a couple of walks and four hits. Yusei Kikuchi will get the ball for the Blue Jays and try to turn the page on an ugly first start where he gave up three runs on six hits and three walks in 4.1 innings against the Rays. First pitch is at 1:05pm.
What about Padres catchers from 1969 to 1973? Though I doubt Chris Cannizzaro did that, either.
Im still trying to figure out Volpe's defensive positioning on the 10th inning Carroll AB, where he had the error. Lefty hitter and Volpe was at deepest point on infield with 2 outs? Made no sense, and made the play much more difficult, and it cost them.
Excllent recap Tamar!
NOW THE FUN BEGINS!
The homer and RBI double by Aaron Judge and the homer by Alex Verdugo are a sign of what is about to happen once the Yankees return to Yankee Stadium. Aaron Judge notoriously goes on a home run tear at Yankee Stadium, so we are now going to see the Aaron Judge we always expect to see, hitting opposing pitcher’s mistakes a country mile! Alex Verdugo always thrived in the Yankee / Red Sox rivalry games at Yankee Stadium. Returning to Yankee Stadium in front of a raucous sell-out crowd is going to bring out the best in him. It always did when he came into Yankee Stadium wearing a Red Sox uniform. Yankee Stadium …