The New York Yankees accomplished three stats yesterday in one of the most exciting baseball season games for the Yankees. They won the game against the Oakland Athletics 2-1. In doing so, they took the series from the second-best team in baseball. Lastly, they did it dramatically with a triple play save for closer Aroldis Chapman, his 16th save of the season. Going into the series, manager Boone said we would see what we are made of. Their performance was a sign of a team living up to their projections or just a terrible tease for the Yankee faithful.
“Monty” did the job through 5.1 innings.
Jordan Montgomery started for the Yankees yesterday and got the job done going into the sixth inning while giving up just one run, 3 hits while striking out 6 A’s. At the start of the game, “Monty” put away Mark Canha and Matt Chapman on a fly-out and strikeout. Then Matt Olson came to the plate and hit a solo home run into the Yankees Monument Park. It was Montgomery’s only mistake in the game. He had good command and struck out more than one per inning.
Montgomery was pulled for the game after one out in the sixth, replaced by Jonathan Loaisiga (Loaisiga has allowed no runs in 14.1 innings) and Lucas Luetge that combined for 2.2 innings giving up just one hit and allowing for the 16th save of the season for closer Aroldis Chapman with the help of a triple play after walking the first two batters. It should be mentioned that Sean Manaea kept the Yankees to just 3 hits, with Montgomery matching him pitch for pitch in what was turning out to be a pitching duel.
You should note that Jordan Montgomery starts has won more games for the Yankees than any other Yankee pitcher. They have won 10 of Monty’s starts and 8 of Gerrit Cole’s starts.
Gary Sanchez continues his winning ways
Gary Sanchez, the much-maligned New York Yankees catcher, has had an amazing performance turnaround in the last 20 days. He has in so many days 6 home runs and multiple extra-base hits. Last night he provided the winning hit.
The Yankees entered the sixth inning scoreless against the A’s, who had only scored the home run in the first inning. At the bottom, Clint Frazier led off by getting the first walk off of Manaea. LeMahieu struck out. Frazier moved to second when a balk was called on Manaea. Aaron Judge walked. Gary Sanchez hit into the gap in right-center, driving both Frazier and Judge for the Yankee lead that they would not relinquish. Gio Urshela provided the go-ahead run in Saturday’s game, and yesterday Sanchez put the Yankees ahead.
New York Yankee connect for 3rd triple play of the season
The Yankees entered the top of the ninth inning with the one-run lead and called on Aroldis Chapman to save the game for them. Chapman seemed to have the edge facing Lowrie, Kemp, and Murphy; none of them had ever gotten a hit off of Chapman. But Chapman immediately got into trouble. He fiddled with his finger, which turned out to be a broken nail. He walked both Lowrie and Kemp, setting the stage for Murphy. Luckily for Chapman, Murphy hit into the Yankees’ 3rd triple play of the season to end the game and get Chapman’s 16 save of the season.
The 5-4-3 triple play was the first time in Yankee history that they ever turned that many triple plays in one season, and only the 11th time it has been done in major league history. It was the second time the triple play was initiated by third baseman Gio Urshela. It was also the second triple play by the Yankees in just four days. The other triple play was on May 21st against the Chicago White Sox.
The June 17th triple play, according to the Society of American Baseball Research, is the first time in baseball history that a 1-3*-6-2-5*-6* triple play has ever been completed.
EmpireSportsMedia’com’s columnist William Parlee is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research. You can follow me on Twitter @parleewilliam. Parlee also calls every New York Yankee game in the Facebook group Yankee Fans R US!!.