By Derek McAdam
June 24, 2022
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The Yankees began a huge four-game series against the Houston Astros with a remarkable win highlighted by a four-run rally in the 9th inning to take the first game of the series by a 7-6 score. The first time the Yankees held a lead was when they won the game.
Jameson Taillon did not have his best stuff, but the Yankee bullpen and offense continued to play great and the Yankees eventually found a way to win the game highlighted by a three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning by Aaron Hicks to tie the game, followed by an Aaron Judge single to bring home the winning run.
The Yankees improved to 52-18 with the win.
Quick Stats:
Aaron Judge: 2-for-5, RBI, K, Walk-off single
Jameson Taillon: 5.2 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 3 K
The Yankees' Bullpen: 3.1 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 2 K
The Big Story:
The Astros wasted no time getting on the board, as Alex Bregman hit a three-run home run in the 1st inning to give the Astros a quick 3-0 lead, but Giancarlo Stanton wasted no time getting the Yankees back into the game with a three-run home run of his own in the bottom of the inning, tying the game at 3-3.
Yordan Alvarez hit a three-run home run in the 3rd to give the Astros a 6-3 lead. And that's where the scoring stopped. Remarkably, the Yankees did not have a hit in any of the innings after the first inning until the ninth inning. In that time, they had only two base runners - Anthony Rizzo, who walked in the sixth inning and Aaron Judge, who reached on an error in the eighth. The Yankees finally came alive in the 9th inning to score four runs and win the game, their 15th straight win at Yankee Stadium. This is the most consecutive games the Yankees have won at home since 1961.
Player(s) of the Game:
Both Hicks and Judge delivered when it mattered most, so they both deserve the honors.
Notable Performances:
Lucas Luetge, Albert Abreu, and Miguel Castro all did well out of the bullpen to keep the game closed. No relief pitcher allowed a run.
Better to Forget:
Jameson Taillon will definitely want to forget this night, but it ended well for the team, so he can at least celebrate something.
Joey Gallo continues to struggle, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and bringing his average down to .176.
My Take:
Once again, the Yankees found a way to win a game when coming from behind. As I’ve said in previous weeks, this team is built differently than in past years. The bats are alive, the defense is solid, and the pitching has been very good. It is unlikely they keep this pace up for the entire season, but the key is that they continue to increase their lead in the AL East. The Yankees are currently 12 games ahead in the loss column over Toronto.
Overall, this was a great start to the series and hopefully, the Yankees can keep the momentum going.
What’s Next?
The Yankees will play the second of the four-game series against the Astros tonight, as Justin Verlander is set to start for the Astros while Luis Severino is scheduled to start for the Yankees.
The first pitch is set for 7:05 PM from Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York, and will be available on Amazon Prime Video.
