Today was supposed to be a much-needed day off for the New York Yankees, but they played a makeup game with the Los Angeles Angels tonight. The game was made necessary due to a rainout when they last met in June at the Stadium. The Angels were 12 1/2 out in the AL West, and the Yankees were 5.5 games out in the AL East; every game is important, and the Yankees would try for another gutsy win tonight with Gerrit Cole making his first start off the Covid list. He was facing the Angels Jose Suarez. It was another one-run win for the Yankees. The final score was Yankees 2 and the Angels 1.
Cole faced Shohei Ohtani in the first inning, who stuck out on a Cole 99mph fastball. David Fletcher struck out looking. Justin Upton hit a home run to the left-field stands to put the Angels on the board first. Jared Walsh struck out. Cole got three strikeouts in the inning but also gave up a run. The bottom was led off by DJ LeMahieu, who flew out to the far right. Aaron Judge singled to right. Joey Gallo hit a two-run homer to the second deck right-field stands for the Yankee lead. Giancarlo Stanton went down for the second out of the inning. Luke Voit got a single right up the middle. Rougie Odor ground out to first on a broken bat. New York Yankees 2 Angels 1.
The second inning was led off by Phil Gosselin, who singled to short. Jose Iglesias tapped back to Cole for the first out. Brandon Marsh went down looking. Max Stassi struck out swinging for five strikeouts for Cole in two innings. At the bottom, Kyle Higashioka struck out swinging. Jonathan Davis was out on an infield dribble. Andrew Velaquez ground out to short. Yankees 2 Angels 1.
Jo Adell led off the third inning by striking out for Cole’s 6th. Ohtani flew out to Stanton in right. Fletcher ground out on a flip play to Cole at first. At the bottom, it was the top of the lineup for the Yankees. LeMahieu ground out on a roller to short. Gallo went down on strikes. Yankees 2 Angels 1.
Justin Upton led off the fourth inning by giving Cole his seventh strikeout of the game. Walsh struck out for number 8 for Cole. Gosselin ground out to end the half. Stanton led off the bottom and singled to left. Voit hit into a 6-4-3 double play. Odor went down swinging. Yankees 2 Angels 1.
The fifth inning was led off by Iglesias, who ground out to third. Marsh walked, breaking a string of 10 straight Angels put down. Stassi provided Cole with his 9th strikeout. Adell flew out to Davis, who made a tremendous running catch in center. At the bottom, Higashioka flew out to second. Davis struck out. Velaquez struck out. New York Yankees 3 Los Angeles Angels 1.
Shohei Ohtani led off the sixth inning and flew out to Stanton on the warning track. Fletcher popped out to short. Upton reached on a bobbled play by Odor at third, And that was the evening for Cole. Walsh faced the new Yankee pitcher Zack Britton and struck out, making Boone’s decision to bring Britton in the right one. At the bottom, LeMahieu walked on four pitches. Judge walked on four pitches. With two on and no outs, Gallo walked the bases loaded, and that was the night for Suarez. Stanton faced the new Angel pitcher Steve Cishek and went down on strikes to boos from the Yankee faithful. Voit with three on and one out hit into an inning-ending double play, blowing a huge opportunity for the Yankees. Yankees 2 Angels 1.
Phil Gosselin led off the seventh inning at the Stadium by grounding out. Iglesias against Albert Abreu flew out to Davis in center. Marsh went down swinging. Odor in the bottom walked on four pitches. Higashioka flew out to far center. Davis was called out on strikes. Velasquez hitting from the left side, flew out to center field. Yankees 2 Angels 1.
The eighth inning saw Max Stassi at the plate with Abreu still on the mound; he ground out. Adell went down looking and ending the night for Abreu. Ohtani faced the new Yankee pitcher J-ROD (Joely Rodriguez), and Ohtani went down looking to end the half. LeMahieu led off the bottom by walking. Judge singled to left, moving LeMahieu to second. LeMahieu was thrown out, reaching for third. Judge took second. Gallo went down swinging. Stanton faced the new Angel pitcher Junior Guerra and flew out to left. Yankees 2 Angels 1.
In the ninth inning, with the last licks on the line for the Angels, Fletcher against the Yankee closer Chad Green ground out to LeMahieu. Upton struck out swinging. Walsh singled down the left-field line. Gosselin, with two outs and one on, struck out, looking to end the game.
The final score was the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels 1. The winning pitcher was Gerrit Cole, and the loser was Jose Suarez. The save went to Chad Green (4).