The Yankees secured their sixth win last night and secured the series win against the Red Sox in New York’s first home series. They have the best record in the MLB and continue to show off their offensive and defensive dominance. Tanaka was on the mound for the first time since being drilled in the head by a 112 mph line drive. He was on a short pitch count and only ended throwing 2.2 innings but looked pretty good.
The Yankees were great on both sides of the field. Tonight, it seemed like New York got more production out of some new relief pitchers. They showed off the depth they have in the bullpen and can get hitters out at an efficient rate.Â
Let’s take a look at the winners and losers from New York’s stellar performance against Boston:Â
LOSER: DJ LeMahieu
DJ LeMahieu didn’t perform badly, he just ended up playing the worst in a really dominant Yankees lineup. Before the game, he had a hit in every game that he appeared in so far. However, that streak ended last night. He ended going 0-4 and didn’t get on base once. Out of all the players last night, he was the biggest overall loser.
WINNER: Aaron Judge/Gio Urshela/Mike Tauchman/Nick Nelson
Aaron Judge didn’t have the best performance of the night but was still very good. He has now hit a home run in four consecutive games after going deep in the first inning of last night’s game. This one, unlike two nights ago, was a no-doubter. He crushed the ball 455 feet into the right-field bleachers and now leads the Yanks in home runs and RBI’s. Judge has been on a tear lately and continues to help to prove his worth to New York.
Gio Urshela had himself another ball game. He is finally finding his swing and adding onto an already power-heavy lineup. In the bottom of the second inning, he smashed a GRAND SLAM into monument park. He put a sweet swing on a ball in the bottom of the zone and sent it 412 feet. Urshela and Judge ended up driving in the only runs in the game but gave Tanaka and the bullpen a five-run lead.
Unlike Judge and Urshela, Tauchman didn’t hit a monstrous home run. However, he had himself a three-hit night. Tauchman is not an everyday player but showed that he is capable of doing just that. He had great swings despite having less experience at the plate this season. Mike showed Aaron Boone and the rest of the Yankees’ staff that he is able to have success against major league pitchers. He makes things really interesting in an outfield full of talented players.Â
If you didn’t watch last night’s game, you most likely have never heard of Nick Nelson. That’s because the 24-year old made his major league debut last night. He pitched three innings for the Yankees and you didn’t watch baseball, you would’ve thought he has pitched in the MLB before. Nelson struck out four and didn’t allow a single run. With the news about Tommy Kahnle getting Tommy John surgery, Nelson showed that he can provide great depth in an already dominant bullpen.Â
The Yankees will play the series finale against the Red Sox tonight and will look to bring the brooms out for the second time this season. They will be led by James Paxton who got off to a rough start in his first appearance against the Nationals. Look to see how Paxton changes his approach against a struggling Red Sox lineup.