By Derek McAdam
April 27, 2023
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Hoping to avoid the Minnesota Twins sweeping them for the first time since September 1991, the New York Yankees were able to come alive offensively yesterday and won the final game against the Twins by a score of 12-6.
Quick Stats:
W: Domingo German (2-2): 6+ IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
L: Kenta Maeda (0-4): 3+ IP, 11 H, 10 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Aaron Judge: 3-for-4, R, 3 RBI
The Yankees’ 12 runs are the most scored in a single game so far this season, edging out the 11 scored against Cleveland on April 11.
Big Story:
There was a lot of offense in this game, which began in the 2nd when Willie Calhoun drove in Gleyber Torres with an infield single. A few batters later, and with the bases loaded, Anthony Volpe drove in a run with a single to right field, giving the Yankees a 2-0 lead. Judge then came to the plate and delivered a bases-clearing three-run double to put the Yankees on top 5-0.
On the first pitch in the bottom of the inning, Jose Miranda sent a fastball into the left field seats, putting the Twins on the board and cutting the Yankee lead to 5-1. However, it would not take the Yankees too long to respond with another big inning.
In the 4th, Anthony Volpe knocked in two more runs with a double to give the Yankees a 7-1 lead. Two batters later, Anthony Rizzo would join in with a two-run double of his own to give the Yankees a commanding 9-1 lead. Two more batters later, Gleyber Torres hit his third home run of the season into the second deck of Target Field to give the Yankees an 11-1 lead.
In the bottom of the inning, Miranda connected for his second home run of the game (and season) to gut the Yankee lead to 11-3. Just two innings later in the 6th, Joey Gallo connected on a two-run home run off German to cut the lead again to 11-5.
In the 7th, the Twins would add an additional run after Max Kepler reached on a fielder’s choice, cutting the Yankee lead to 11-6. But the Yankees would get a run back in the 9th after DJ LeMahieu hit a sacrifice fly to deep left field. Clay Holmes would come in the bottom of the inning to close out the game, although it was not a save situation.
Player of the Game:
Anthony Volpe is going to take the crown this game for a couple of reasons. First, he had a couple of nice at-bats to drive in some runs for the team, but his defense also looked much better yesterday. Hopefully, it was just a bad stretch in the field for the youngster.
Notable Performances:
Judge had a very nice game as well, and really opened the game wide open in the 2nd with his bases-clearing double. Miranda also had a nice day at the plate with his first two home runs of the season.
Better to Forget:
While LeMahieu seems like the choice because of being the only starting Yankee to go hitless, he actually had a couple of hard hit balls that both resulted in solid defensive plays from the Twins. While German gave the Yankees six innings of work, he still allowed six runs. But, I’ll discuss why I’m not too concerned about the outing.
My Take:
It’s been a brutal stretch of games for the Yankees. Their offense was abysmal against the Blue Jays and in the first two games of this series, but they were able to avoid the sweep. This particular game seems like an outlier game because of the dozen runs they managed to get across the plate. However, it’s good to see that in my lifetime (I was born in 1999) that the Yankees have not been swept by the Twins.
Let’s start with Volpe. He looked much better in the field yesterday and made a couple of nice plays. Not to mention that he also added three RBIs to his season total, both of which were able to extend the Yankee rallies. Hopefully, he just continues to improve in both departments.
Now for Judge. The birthday boy reached base four times, but there was a moment when Yankee fans were ready for even more devastating news regarding an injury. After his three-run double in the 2nd, Judge attempted to steal third base and slid awkwardly. He was called out and went straight for the clubhouse, but emerged just a few minutes later and remained in the game. His right hand folded awkwardly on the slide, but doesn’t seem as if anything major occurred. Hopefully, it’s just a sprain (worst-case scenario) and he’ll just be sore for a little while.
So now onto German. While the six runs can be alarming, I’m not as concerned as many Yankee fans might be about this. After the big second inning, German came out and threw a first pitch strike right over the heart of the plate, to which Miranda sent over the left field wall. German remained aggressive after his quick 1st inning, and Miranda was just prepared for the pitch. Only one run crossed the plate that inning, so I’m not too worried about that.
Just a couple of innings later, Miranda took German deep again. Once again, German was staying aggressive with an even larger lead at this point. There’s nothing that drives me nuts more than having a lead and watching pitchers work counts full with that huge lead. Two more runs crossed the plate, but the score at that point would have been 11-3. Not a huge deal.
The one home run I would be most concerned about was Gallo’s home run in the 6th. German hung the ball over the plate to Gallo, who had already connected on a home run against the Yankees in that series. However, Yankee fans have seen Gallo strike out on many of those pitches.
Am I satisfied with German’s start? Sure. He gave the Yankees six innings, which is fine, but he still gave up three home runs. However, he remained aggressive for the game, which is why I’m not overly concerned. I can’t see him being as aggressive with his pitch selection if the game is closer in score, but maybe I’m wrong. Nonetheless, he gets his second win of the season, and the Yankees avoid the sweep.
The Yankees are onto Texas for four games, and they won’t be easy. But hopefully, the Yankees can build on yesterday’s results and hope for some good things to happen against the Rangers.
What’s Next?
The Yankees will begin their four-game series against the Texas Rangers tonight. Gerrit Cole is set to start for the Yankees, while former Yankee Andrew Heaney is scheduled to start for the Rangers. First pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. EST.
