After a disappointing road trip when the New York Yankees went 5-4 and a day off yesterday, tonight they entered a 3 game series with the Baltimore Orioles. With their race to the postseason in jeopardy, the Yankees should win if not sweep a series against a team that will lose 110 games this season. In game one, the Yankees sent Nestor Cortes Jr. to the mound to face the Orioles, John Means. In a game that should have been won easily, it went into the eleventh inning with Giancarlo Stanton walking off Aaron Judge for the Yankee 4-3 win.
Leading off the first inning was the O’s Cedric Mullins, who against Cortes, flew out to Gallo in left. Ryan Mountcastle flew out to Judge in centerfield. Austin Hays went down on strikes for a 1-2-3 inning for Cortes. At the bottom, DJ LeMahiew faced the O’s John Means and ground out to third. Joey Gallo walked. Aaron Judge, who hit over .500 during the road trip, struck out swinging. Giancarlo Stanton went down on strikes to end the scoreless inning.
The top of the second was led off by Trey Mancini, who singled up the middle. Ramon Urias popped out to LeMahieu on the right side. Anthony Santander popped out to catcher Sanchez. Jorge Mateo went down on strike. In the bottom, Anthony Rizzo flew out to the warning track in centerfield. Luke Voit went down looking. Gleyber Torres, in his first at-bat since going on the IL with a thumb strain, struck out. No score.
Jahmai Jones led off the third inning by going down on strikes. Austin Wynns singled in front of Stanton in the right field. Mullins went down on strikes. Mountcastle got the third strikeout of the inning. At the bottom, Rougie Odor led off by striking out. Gary Sanchez ground out to third base. LeMahieu flew out to center for another scoreless inning.
The fourth inning was led off by Hays, who flew out to Stanton in right. Mancini went down on another four-seamer from Cortes. Urias walked. Santander singled, moving Urias to second. Mateo ground out to Odor to end the inning. At the bottom, Gallo led off by going down swinging. Judge flew out in front of the right-field wall. Stanton homered to right (424′). Rizzo followed with a long double to center field. Voit ground out to end the inning. Means had not allowed a Yankee hit until Stanton’s home run. New York Yankees 1 O’s 0.
Jones led off the fifth inning by striking out swinging. Wynn flew out to Gallo in left. Mullins ground out to first with an assist from Cortes. At the bottom, Torres flew out to the warning track in right-center. Odor worked a walk. Sanchez singled with Odor taking third. LeMahieu with men on the corners and one out had a sac fly driving in Odor from third. Gallo struck out, but the Yankees tacked on another run. New York Yankees 2 O’s 0.
The sixth inning was led off by Mountcastle, who walked. Hays hit into a double play. Mancini put the Orioles on the board with a homer off the second deck facing in left, and that was the end of the night for Cortes Jr. Jonathan Loaisiga came in to face Urias, who went down on Loaisiga’s 11th pitch. Aaron Judge led off the bottom by doubling to left. Stanton flew out to shallow left. Rizzo walked. Voit with two on and one out went down looking. Torres flew out deep to center. New York Yankees 2 Baltimore Orioles 1.
Santander led off the seventh inning and ground out to first. Mateo just homered to the left to tie the game up at 2. Stewart pinch-hitting ground out. Wynns flew out to Judge to end the inning. At the bottom, Odor went down on strikes. Sanchez ground out to third. LeMahieu tapped out in front of the plate to end the inning. Yankees 2 Orioles 2.
The eighth inning was led off by Mullins, who ground out to left. Mountcastle ground out to Torres at short. Hays hit a double to left-center. Mancini was intentionally walked. Urias struck out swinging. At the bottom, Gallo struck out. Judge reached on an E6 at short. Stanton flew out to center. Rizzo struck out swinging after putting one into the second deck just foul. Yankees 2 Orioles 2.
The ninth inning saw closer Aroldis Chapman on the mound facing Santander, who went down strikes that David Cone called a forkball. Mateo walked. Kelvin Gutierrez pinch-hitting went down on strikes. Wynns struck out swinging to end the half, leaving a walk-off win for the Yankees a possibility. At the bottom, Voit went down on the ninth pitch. Torres ground out to third. Odor faced the new O’s pitcher Cole Sulser and went down swinging as the game went into the tenth inning. The game tied at 2.
The tenth inning was started with ghost runner Ryan McKenna at second base. Mullins, with Wandy Peralta pitching, struck out. Mountcastle singled, driving in McKenna for the Orioles lead. Mountcastle went to second on the throw. Hays walked. With two on and one out, Mancini hit into a double play to end the half, but the O’s took the lead. The Yankees, with the last licks going into the bottom, had Tyler Wade as the ghost runner. Sanchez struck out. LeMahieu doubled with Tyler Wade scoring to tie the game at 3. LeMahieu moved to third on a passed ball. Gallo flew out to the infield. Judge faced another O’s reliever in Dillon Tate. Judge ground out to end the inning and bring it into the eleventh. Game tied at 3.
Urias faced Clay Holmes with Mancini as the ghost runner; he got a base hit to right, moving Mancini to third. Santander with two on and no outs popped out. Mateo flew out to right, and Stanton fired into home, preventing Mancini from advancing. Kelvin Gutierrez was called out on strikes giving the Yankees another chance of a walk-off win. In the bottom, with ghost runner Aaron Judge at second. Giancarlo Stanton led off by walking off Aaron Judge with a single up the middle for the New York Yankees win.
The final score was the New York Yankees 4 and the Baltimore Orioles 3. The winning pitcher was Clay Holmes, and the loser was Dillon Tate.