The New York Yankees’ offense has struggled against the Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers over the past few games. However, against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday evening, they posted 15 runs on the backs of DJ LeMahieu, Aaron Judge, and Giancarlo Stanton.
The Bombers now host a 23–8 record after beating Chicago 15–7. They host the best record in baseball and sit atop the AL East by 4.5 games, with the Tampa Bay Rays trailing.
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Good news and bad news for the Yankees:
The good news was plastered all over the stat line for the Yankees. They earned an incredible 15 hits and 15 runs, despite striking out 14 times. Josh Donaldson struck out twice, and Joey Gallo struck out three times, but the pair combined for three hits and three RBIs, wiping away those specific at-bats.
The star of the evening was slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who launched a 397-foot homer in the 1st inning, driving in LeMahieu. He followed up his first homer with another in the 3rd inning, driving an Anthony Rizzo, just beating the right-field porch.
Stanton finished the evening with six RBIs, the most he’s recorded in a single game this season. After earning a day off against Toronto on Wednesday, the Yankees unleashed Stanton in Chicago, providing a catalyst for the team’s offense.
Fellow slugger Aaron Judge also contributed significantly, posting two hits and four RBIs, blowing the game wide open in the 8th inning after reaching on an infield single to shortstop. Both Marwin Gonzalez and Gleyber Torres scored in the process, with the Yanks recording six runs in the 8th.
The Yankees didn’t have many poor performances on the offensive side, but starting pitcher Luis Gil struggled with his command, giving up five hits and four earned runs. Since manager Aaron Boone was forced to utilize two starting pitchers this past Sunday and a doubleheader against Texas, he was forced to call up a reserve starter to help mitigate fatigue.
Gil has struggled with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre before getting his first opportunity of the season with the top team, and over 83 pitches, he threw 54 strikes and struck out five batters.
Thursday’s win certainly wasn’t Gil’s best performance, but at the very least, the Yankees get him some MLB action as they were like they need them again down the road.