The New York Yankees players had to go home last night embarrassed after losing game one of a three-game series against their age-old rival, the Boston Red Sox. I used the term embarrassed because when the pitching fails in the first inning, you can be pretty sure the game has been lost because the Yankees can’t hit the ball this year. In defense of the Yankees, you could say yes, but hitting is down across all of baseball. That is true, but it has especially hit the Yankees and walloped them. Last night’s 5-2 loss broke a record of eleven straight losses for the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium.
Michael King gave up 3 runs in the first inning.
This may sound strange, but Michael King pitched quite well last night. Unfortunately, one bad pitch in the first inning made it impossible for the New York Yankees to win their first game of the season against the Boston Red Sox. Sure King had a rocky first inning allowing two runners to take bases. Then The Red Sox Rafael Dever got the perfect pitch to hit, and he didn’t miss it, carrying it out into the stands for the 3 run lead for the Sox.
After his rocky start, he pitched quite well for the next 4.1 innings while striking out 5 Red Sox. The problem was exacerbated when the regularly dependable Yankees bullpen gave up another two runs. Lucas Luetge, who has been pretty much lights out for the Yankees, gave up two runs in 1.2 innings of work. Nestor Cortes Jr. pitched two clean innings, but it was too late for the Yankees to recover.
On the bright side, King, for only the seventh time in New York Yankee history, pitched a perfect inning in the third, striking out the side. This feat is called an “immaculate” inning.
Sanchez the poster boy for non-hitting
Gary Sanchez, maybe unfairly, is the poster boy for what’s wrong with the Yankees. He, like several others in the lineup, has not been hitting with any consistency. Sanchez’s .198 batting average is not the worst; Clint Frazier’s .179 is. Brett Gardner is hitting .192, Higashioka .187, Odor .182, Before his injury Luke Voit was hitting .182, and Mike Ford’s .133 got him sent down to Scranton.
Even some of the best hitters are underperforming. Last year’s batting champion DJ LeMahieu won the title, hitting .364. This year he is hitting just .259 and hitting a lot of ground balls, inducing double plays. Gary Sanchez is today’s poster boy because he struck out four out of four times in last night’s 5-2 loss. The Yankees struck out 15 times in the game.
News on Corey Kluber and Phil Nevin
There is some questionable but good news involving two Yankees. First, the news on pitcher Corey Kluber although a bit mysterious, is better than expected. It appears after visiting several orthopedic specialists that Klube will not need surgery, and Aaron Boone and company have shifted their plan for Kluber. Originally he was supposed to be shut down for a month before he could toss a ball; now, he will continue light throwing but still be out the expected eight weeks.
The bad news for Kluber and the Yankees is that his shoulder ailment may be that after pitch hard for so many years, his shoulder may be worn out. The Yankees project that he will be able to pitch threw it once he returns. But surely, the Yankees will clearly monitor his innings. They are probably happy they only gave him a one-year contract.
It was a joy last night when third-base coach Phil Nevin was seen in the dugout. Although not coaching at third, it was a joy to see him in the ballpark. When the Yankees had their rash of Covid infections, most were asymptomatic, except Nevin, who was hit pretty bad. On May 10, it was discovered that the coach had the infection. An accompanying staph infection and his chronic asthma made his time with the disease quite scary. But last night, he was smiling and 22 pounds lighter. There is no word on when he will return to his place in left field.