Monday, June 27, 2022

Yankees Complete Yet Another Comeback, This One Against A's

 

Josh Donaldson standing at second base after his game-winning two-run double in the seventh inning. Photo by Jason Schott.


The Yankees completed yet another comeback on Monday night at Yankee Stadium, as they beat the Oakland A's 9-5, as they scored six runs in the seventh inning, including Josh Donaldson's game-winning two-run double, to make up an early 5-1 deficit.

This was the Yankees' 23rd comeback victory, the most in Major League Baseball. They improved to 54-20, the best record in baseball, and marks their third-best start in franchise history, behind the 56-18 start in 1928 and 55-19 in 2018. It matches the third-best start in Major League Baseball history, trialing only the '98 Yankees and 2001 Mariners (55-19) and tied with the 1969 Orioles, who were also 54-20.

Anthony Rizzo got the Yankees on the board in the bottom of the first inning, as he hit his 20th home run of the season, a solo shot to make it 1-0.

Jordan Montgomery striking out Chad Pinder in the first inning. Photo by Jason Schott.


Yankees starter Jordan Montgomery sailed through the first two innings, but Oakland then rallied in the top of the third, as Ramon Laureano got an RBI double off the top of the left field fence, followed by a three-run double into the left field corner by Elvis Andrus, and Sheldon Neuse brought him in with a single to make it 5-1.

The Yankees started chipping away at it in the fourth inning when Giancarlo Stanton led off with a solo home run, followed in the fifth by DJ LeMahieu getting a two-out single, stealing second, and scoring on an Aaron Judge RBI single to make it 5-3.

That was all for the Oakland starter, Paul Blackburn who went five innings, allowing three runs (all earned) on five hits and two walks, with seven strikeouts.

Montgomery kept Oakland at those five runs, as he pitched into the seventh, with his final line reading as such: 6 2/3 innings, 6 hits, 5 runs (all earned), 1 walk, 6 strikeouts.

First out of the Oakland bullpen was Adam Oller, who pitched a scoreless sixth inning, and stayed on for the seventh. 

It appeared that Joey Gallo hit a home run down the right field line, but it curved just foul, and then he eventually popped out to second base for the first out.

LeMahieu then walked to get the rally going, and then it appeared Aaron Judge grounded out, but Oakland catcher Sean Murphy's glove made contact with his swing, so the Yankees had two runners on base, and hat was all for Oller.

A.J. Puk was on next for the A's, and he hit Rizzo with an up-and-in pitch in the elbow, and that loaded the bases for Giancarlo Stanton. (Rizzo would leave in the eighth inning when Matt Carpenter went in to pinch-hit, primarily so he could get treatment

Stanton appeared to foul one off on 0-1, and he pointed to the Yankees dugout to challenge it, which they did, and incredibly, he also reached on a catcher's interference, and that brought a run in to make it 5-4 Oakland.

Josh Donaldson was up next, and he laced a double into the left field corner to bring in Judge and Rizzo and give the Yankees a 6-5 lead, and that electrified the 33,168 on hand at Yankee Stadium.

That was all for Puk, and in cam Austin Pruitt, who got Aaron Hicks to fly out to shallow right field for the second out.

Jose Trevino, who was 0-for-3 on the night with two strikeouts, was up next, and he joined the hit parade with a double down the left field line to being home Stanton and Donaldson, and he would come in on a single by Marwin Gonzalez to open up an 8-5 lead. Gallo popped up to the catcher to end the frame, the second out he would record in the frame. 

Yankees reliever Albert Abreu, who came on to get the final out in the seventh with a strikeout of Laureano, would stay on for the eighth, and he worked around a one-out walk to Andrus with a pair of strikeouts. He then stayed on for the ninth, finishing off the game, and earning his first win of the season, just a week after returning to the Yankees from Kansas City.

Yankees Manager Aaron Boone said of the seventh-inning comeback, "It's a dangerous offense, great job by JD (Donaldson), thought he had a real good at-bat his first time working a walk, but then, you know, down 0-2 in that situation off Puk, whose obviously got great stuff, and smokes one in the corner, and then Trevy with the insurance. Just two big hits in the game when, onvciously got off to a tough start with their big inning early. Monty, great job of just buckling down and pitching us deep into the game anyway. Good one coming off a, you know, obviously, a high-energy, intense series, you know, come out here, get a little rain early, I thought our energy was good and, you know, obviously a great finish."


No comments:

Post a Comment