New York Yankees: Game-Changing Grand Slam Leads to a Yankee Victory vs. Dodgers

New York Yankees shortstop, Didi Gregorius.
Oct 3, 2018; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius (18) singles during the second inning against the Oakland Athletics in the 2018 American League wild card playoff baseball game at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

What. A. Game. The New York Yankees absolutely demolished the hard-hitting Los Angeles Dodgers in every single aspect of the game. The offense rose to the challenge, powering in 10 runs and a grand total of 5 homers, including a game-changing grand slam. The starting pitching and bullpen were also tremendous. James Paxton led the charge into battle, recording 6.2 strong innings and giving up 5 hits, 2 runs, no walks and 11 strikeouts on 109 pitches.

Before the game started, Hyun-Jin Ryu was the talk of the town and expected to punish the Yanks with pure and utter filth. This was not the case, as Ryu was responsible for giving up 9 hits and 7 runs in just 4.1 innings pitched. This came as a huge shock not only to the Dodgers organization but the Yankees organization as well. Before tonight’s game, Ryu accumulated a 1.64 ERA, 2.99 FIP and a 0.98 WHIP in 148.1 innings pitched. Even after the poor start, Ryu still has phenomenal and Cy Young-like stats, posting a 2.00 ERA, 3.18 FIP, and a 0.98 WHIP.

Whether people choose to believe so or not, the Yanks are a force to be reckoned with and proved a point by sending a direct message to the Dodgers. Paxton was brilliant and maintained his scorching hot performance from the beginning till the end. Paxton shut down the Dodgers offense in the 1st and 2nd innings, collecting 3 strikeouts in the process.

In the top of the 3rd, Aaron “Baj” Judge and Gary “Kraken” Sanchez led the offensive explosion by driving in two solo homers. Judge pulled his 2nd homer of the season, crushing the baseball 414 feet with an exit velocity of 108.9 MPH. Sanchez proceeded almost immediately after by hammering his 29th homer on the season and becoming the fastest catcher to reach 100 homers in MLB history. Sanchez achieved this impressive accomplishment in only 355 games. (the next fastest was Mike Piazza, who reached 100 homers in 422 games.) Adding some spice to the cake, Sanchez’s back knee touched the ground, accurately portraying Adrian Beltre.

The Dodgers only scored 2 runs in the game, with one being in the 3rd and the other in the 7th. In the bottom of the 3rd, A.J. Pollock drove in an RBI single to left field, cutting the deficit in half. The 4th inning led to no runs on either side and a spectacular pitching duel. However, the New York Yankees were out for blood in the 5th, pouring on a 5-run rally. Sir Didi Gregorius completely changed the momentum of the game, launching a grand slam at 378 feet with an exit velocity of 97.7 MPH. Brett Gardner tacked on the 5th run of the game, smacking the baseball and driving in an RBI double to left field.

As Paxton continued to demolish the Dodgers lineup, the Yanks continued their offensive production in the top of the 6th. Gleyber Torres granted the Yankees their 8th run of the game, blasting a solo homer at 389 feet with an exit velocity of 96.8 MPH. Paxton was eventually relieved by Tommy Kahnle in the bottom of the 6th, but not before picking up his 10th and 11th strikeouts of the game. Paxton has now assembled a 4.43 ERA, 4.08 FIP and a 1.43 WHIP on the season.

Enrique Hernandez recorded the last run for the Dodgers in the bottom of the 7th, driving in an RBI double to left field. In the top of the 8th and 9th innings, the New York Yankees earned 2 more runs. Judge, who was already on fire, bashed in an RBI single to left-center field in the 8th. Gregorius knocked in his 2nd homer of the night, traveling 395 feet with an exit velocity of 100.2 MPH in the 9th. Nestor Cortes Jr. closed out the game in the bottom of the 9th and sealed the deal for the Yanks, winning 10-2.

The Yankees now possess an 84-46 (.646) record and remain as the best baseball club in the American League. The Rays are 8.0 games back and the Red Sox are 15.0 games back from 1st place in the AL East.