By Mike Whiteman June 28, 2022
*** The Big Story: The Yanks opened scoring when Anthony Rizzo ripped a solo HR over the right field wall, breaking a nineteen at bat hitless skid. The Athletics struck back in the third, scoring five two-out runs off starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery. After that bad inning, Monty righted the ship. He didn’t allow any more runs which allowed the Yanks to work their way back. A Giancarlo Stanton home run in the fourth and Aaron Judge RBI single in the fifth brought the team back to within 5-3. In the seventh the Yankees stormed back with a 6-run rally aided in part by two catcher’s interference calls by Oakland catcher Sean Murphy. Two-run doubles by Josh Donaldson and Jose Trevino were the decisive blows. Montgomery ran out of gas in the seventh and was relieved by Albert Abreu. The recently re-acquired hurler went the rest of the way, striking out four over a scoreless 2 1/3 innings, and the Yanks had a 9-5 win. Of significant concern is that Rizzo was removed for a pinch hitter after a HBP on his right elbow in the seventh inning which left him visibly in pain. After the game Boone stated that he thought his first baseman was going to be OK but had wanted to get him out of the game and treatment started.
History Lessons:
Born on this day in 1941 was Al Downing. Known for yielding Hank Aaron’s 715th home run, he was the first African American starting pitcher in Yankee history. https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/downial01.shtml
Eighty-three years ago the Yanks swept a doubleheader from the Philadelphia Athletics by the scores of 23-2 and 10-0. The Bombers lived up to their name, smacking thirteen home runs on the day, including eight dingers in the opener.
The 1939 Yankees were among the great teams in baseball history, winning 106 games in a 154-game season (.702 winning percentage) and sweeping the World Series. For comparison’s sake, they were a game behind the 2022 team’s record at this point in the 1939 season. https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NYY/1939.shtml
Quick Stats:
The Yankees are 54-20, the best record in Major League Baseball. They lead the American League East by twelve games. They are a game behind the legendary 1998’s team’s pace, and as of this morning project to 118 wins.
The Red Sox are 19-5 In the month of June, and despite this torrid pace they have made up a whopping half a game in the standings. That’s how good the Yankees have been.
Aaron Boone’s squad is 32-9 at Yankee Stadium on the season.
This team never gives up; they lead all of MLB with 23 comeback victories.
Players of the Game: There were many contributors, but I’ll give the award to Josh Donaldson and Jose Trevino, both of whom came up big in the clutch. Notable Performances:
Albert Albreu’s performance and distance he went was welcome, giving the rest of the bullpen the night off
GIancarlo Stanton looks to be heating up, as he has homered in four of his past five contests
Marwin Gonzales had two hits and tacked on an insurance RBI at the end of the seventh-inning rally.
Better to Forget:
Yankee starting pitching has been human of late – a 5.34 cumulative ERA over the past turn of the rotation
Joey Gallo was hitless in four at bats, he has three hits in his last 41 at bats
Aaron Hicks was 0-3 and hasn’t had a hit since his three-run HR against Houston.
My take: All wins aren’t pretty, and this one had more in the way of substance than style. I’ve said it many times, the big difference between this team and the 2021 version is that they seem to find ways to win. The Yanks are a bit banged up, missing Gleyber Torres and Isiah Kiner Falefa with pesky injuries, and are in the midst of a 20 day in a row grind. They are 10-4 thus far, with all but tonight’s game against winning teams they will likely face and need to beat to make the World Series. This is impressive. Keep it up.
They said it: “When the news came that I was going to come back to join the team again, it felt like hope, like I was getting hope again. I had lost my confidence. Just walking into the stadium through those doors I felt a rush of energy, positive energy” – Albert Abreu on his return to New York. Next Up In an effort to keep the starting pitching corps fresh, the Yanks add a sixth starter for this turn in the rotation. The team will turn to JP Sears (2-0, 0.00) for a spot start against Frankie Montas (3-7, 3.21). Start time 7:05 pm .
