About Yesterday: The Yankees Edged the Brewers 4-3 in 13 Innings
By Tim Kabel
September 11, 2023
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The Yankees avoided a sweep at the hands of the Brewers by winning on Sunday 4-3 in 13 innings. However, they were dominated by Milwaukee's pitching for most of the game. In fact, they were no-hit until the 11th inning, when Oswaldo Cabrera doubled in the game-tying run. For the game, the Yankees only mustered a total of three hits.
As I and others have written, at this point in the season, wins and losses are not that important. The Yankees are still 71-72 with 19 games remaining. They are solidly in last place and have no hope of making the playoffs. The Yankees need to concentrate on 2024 because 2023 is a lost cause. That should be the focus right now.
Unfortunately, the Yankees were dealt a major blow before the game when Jasson Dominguez was scratched due to an elbow injury. It turned out to be a torn UCL, which will most likely require Tommy John surgery. He is finished for the rest of this season. In the words of Winnie the Pooh, "Oh, bother."
Quick Stats -
Gerrit Cole became the first pitcher in Yankees' history to have three seasons with 200 or more strikeouts.
Giancarlo Stanton is now batting .198 for the season with 23 home runs. He has officially become a more jovial Dave Kingman.
Josh Donaldson and Aaron Hicks were correctly viewed as huge disappointments during their Yankees' careers. We all rejoiced when they were released by the Yankees. Yet, while the Yankees will not make the playoffs, it is quite possible that both Hicks and Donaldson will. As Yul Brynner said in The King and I, “is a puzzlement".
The Yankees' youth movement continues. Yesterday, they recalled Anthony Misiewicz, age 28, and Matt Bowman, age 32.
Gerrit Cole has 23 starts this season in which he allowed two or fewer runs, making him third in team history in that category behind Jack Chesbro (28) in 1904 and Ron Guidry (26) in 1978.
The Yankees are 71-72 with 19 games left in the season.
This was the Yankees' sixth walk-off win of the season.
Jake Bauers is 2 for his last 32. We don't need to see him playing again. He should definitely be disqualified from pinch-hitting.
On September 10th, 1978, the Yankees completed the four-game sweep of the Red Sox at Fenway Park known as the Boston Massacre, moving them into a first-place tie with the Red Sox.
The Big Story -
The Yankees won an exciting game, in which they had no hits until the 11th inning. After that, they fought back repeatedly, until finally winning the game in the 13th inning. Gerrit Cole had another dominant outing and at this point appears to be the front runner in the Cy Young Award race. His ERA is 2.79, which is the best in the American League, and he also leads the league with 187 innings pitched. It was his fourth no-decision this season with at least five innings pitched and zero runs allowed, the most across the Major Leagues. His record stands at 13-4. He has been one of the few bright spots on the team this season and has truly been the Ace and a team leader. He seems poised to lead the team to better results in 2024
Player of the Day -
Gerrit Cole had another stellar performance in an outstanding season.
Notable Performances -
Oswaldo Cabrera had the Yankees' first hit in the 11th inning, spoiling the no-hitter and shut-out for the Brewers, and tying the game. Giancarlo Stanton hit a game-tying two-run home run in the 12th inning.
Better to Forget-
Nick Ramirez gave up all three runs to the Brewers.
My Take -
Jasson Dominguez suffered a season-ending UCL tear and will most likely require Tommy John surgery. Until he has the surgery and enters the recovery phase, we will not have an exact timetable for his return. Suffice it to say that he will be out of commission for at least six months. This announcement caused great tumult amongst Yankees' fans, many of whom were devastated upon hearing this news. I will attempt to be the voice of reason.
Imagine if we had not seen Jasson Dominguez for those eight games. If we had not seen the sample of his abilities, as brief as it was, he would be completely unknown to us. We would have no idea if he could handle things at the Major League level. At the very least, we caught a glimpse of what he can do.
The Yankees are completely out of playoff contention. To think otherwise is foolish. They have no hope of making the postseason. It would have been nice to have Dominguez in the lineup for the rest of the year to continue his development. That time will now be used for his surgery and the beginning of his recovery.
The bulk of Dominguez's recovery will occur during the off-season. He will still be able to do conditioning and there is no reason to suspect he will not be in tremendous shape when spring training rolls around. Whether he will be able to play at the beginning of spring training is unknown. Let's say he isn't ready until May. If I had told you two weeks ago that Jasson Dominguez would be ready to be a contributor on the Major League team by May of 2024, every one of you would have signed up for it.
This is a terrible thing, particularly for the young man but, the comments that he made afterward show he is mature and is keeping things in perspective. He said that he was grateful for the eight games that he had and hopes to get the surgery and recovery completed as quickly as possible. Remember, he is 20 years old. I believe we have a special young man on our hands.
As disappointing as it was to hear that Jasson Dominguez was injured and will require surgery, it could have been a whole lot worse. If someone else has to play centerfield for a month or so while he is recovering, that will not be the end of the world. The goal is that he has the surgery and recovers as thoroughly and quickly as possible. If this had to happen, this is the best time for it to happen. Take a breath and relax. Everything will be fine.
Next Up -
Tonight, the Yankees will open a four-game series against the Red Sox at Fenway Park at 7:10 PM. Clarke Schmidt (9-8 4.54 ERA) will face Boston's Kutter Crawford (6-7 4.36 ERA).
