The Yankees completed a series sweep against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday, clinching a narrow 6-5 victory. The win was highlighted by DJ LeMahieu’s grand slam that propelled the Bombers to an early lead.
Yankees Sweep Phillies with Dramatic Win
Despite a disappointing season marred by a foot injury during spring training, DJ LeMahieu played a crucial role in Wednesday’s game. He delivered six RBIs, significantly contributing to the Yankees’ 65th win of the season and advancing their position in the American League East standings.
Continuing Winning Streak
The Yankees have now won five consecutive games. Although the Baltimore Orioles have also started to turn things around with two straight victories, the Bombers remain just half a game behind, vying to reclaim the top spot in their division.
Offensive and Defensive Highlights
The team’s offense generated nine hits but also struck out nine times, with Giancarlo Stanton and LeMahieu each contributing two strikeouts. Stanton, still recovering from a hamstring injury, had a rest day on Tuesday but made a positive impact in Wednesday’s game.
Jazz Chisholm continued his impressive performance, adding a hit and a run, which boosted his average to .254 for the season. In contrast, the top half of the order, including Aaron Judge, struggled, with Judge striking out four times in four at-bats—a rare “golden sombrero.” Despite this, the team’s overall victory overshadowed these individual challenges.
Pitching Inconsistencies
Nestor Cortes experienced another unstable start, yielding three hits that included a solo home run, culminating in three earned runs. His performance led to six strikeouts, pushing his ERA to 4.16 for the season across 99 pitches with 61 strikes.
The bullpen also showed signs of inconsistency, nearly relinquishing a late-game lead. The Yankees led 6-3 entering the bottom of the sixth inning but allowed two runs. Newly acquired bullpen asset Mark Leiter Jr. faced a critical moment, striking out Brandon Marsh with the bases loaded to narrowly maintain a one-run lead. Closing the game, Clay Holmes allowed a lead-off single against Kyle Schwarber but secured the win with a flyout and a double play.
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Upcoming Series Against Blue Jays
After a much-needed day off on Thursday, the Yankees are set to face the Toronto Blue Jays over the weekend. The series opener is scheduled for 7:05 PM on Friday, with Marcus Strowman pitching against Kevin Gausman, who has a 4.44 ERA over 119.2 innings this year. The Yankees previously scored seven earned runs against Gausman in his last start, setting the stage for a potentially high-scoring matchup.