New York Yankees Recap: 102 pitches, Cole wins it for the Yankees

New York Yankees, Gerrit Cole
Feb 16, 2020; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) throws during a live batting practice at spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

In an unusual season, the New York Yankees met with the Baltimore Orioles in at a last-minute replacement game that was supposed to pit the Phillies against the Yankees; they meet instead with the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. Last season’s MVP DJ LeMahieu leading the Yankees going 4 for 5 and Aaron Judge coming alive.  Those are the headlines in a game the Yankees won 9-3.

Oh, did I say Gerrit Cole showed his stuff going 6.2 innings and 102 pitches, giving up only three runs, again without his best stuff? Meanwhile, across baseball, the Red Sox were winning over the crosstown Mets, and the Astros were doing an exercise in the new rule man on 2nd after nine until Mookie Betts broke it open in the eleventh for Los Angeles, for the Dodger win.

It started out for the New York Yankees with DJ LeMahieu hitting a homer showing that he is still that MVP guy from last season.  In the third inning, Judge hit a massive homer in an inning that netted the Yankees three runs for the 5-1 lead.

The Yankees picked up two runs in the first inning, and the Orioles answered with a run by Dwight Smith Jr. That was the only run the Orioles could get off of Gerrit Cole until he tired after 102 pitches, and he gave up two runs in the seventh.

Along with Judge’s moon shot solo home run in the third, Aaron Hicks hit his first homer of the year a two-run shot that made it Yankees 5 and the O’s 1. The Yankees scored two more runs in the sixth inning, and another two runs in the top of the ninth inning for the 9-3 Yankees win. After Cole left the game in the seventh inning Luis Avilan, Chad Green, and in his debut Brooks Kriske combined for 2.1 scoreless innings.

Notable Stats in the game include LeMahieu going 4-5, Judge: 2-3, HR, 2 RBI, HBP, Stanton: 1-3, RBI, BB, Hicks: 1-3, HR, 2 RBI, BB. Gerrit Cole pitched 6.2 innings allowing only four hits with three earned runs, three base on balls, and seven strikeouts in the game for his second straight win of the season.

Notable also is that both Gary Sanchez and Brett Gardner continued their hitless season both going 4-0 in the game, two bats that are yet to come alive. The Yankees are now 3-1 on the short 60 game season.  That is the equivalent  9-3 on a regular-season as each game this year is worth almost three games per win.

The Yankees will again face the Baltimore Orioles when J. A. Happ takes the mound for the Yankees against lefty John Means in his first game of the season.  It will be lefty against a lefty in the last game between the Orioles and the Yankees.  After this series, the Yankees will move on for an Opening Day at Yankees Stadium on Friday with the Boston Red Sox in a weekend series.  They will see Jordan Montgomery taking the mound for the Yankees.