The Yankees secured a series win over the Texas Rangers on Sunday afternoon in scary fashion. Despite having a significant 8–3 lead going into the eighth inning, the Rangers made it a close game, eventually bringing it within one run.
The Bombers escaped with an 8–7 victory, but closer Clay Holmes certainly provided a scare. He tossed 45 pitches, the most in his career, and will undoubtedly need a few days’ rest. The bullpen struggled down the stretch, with Mark Leiter Jr. and Holmes giving up four combined runs and four hits with two home runs allowed.
Yankees’ Bullpen Woes in the Eighth
Leiter was the main culprit, failing to get out of the eighth inning before handing the ball off to Holmes to get the final out.
Stroman’s Stellar Performance
The Yankees finally got a fantastic start from veteran pitcher Marcus Stroman, who tossed five innings and gave up just one earned run over 89 pitches. He lowered his ERA to 4.01, having given up 15 runs over his previous three games combined. After skipping his most recent start, Stroman clearly tweaked his fundamentals and enjoyed some much-needed rest ahead of Sunday’s gem.
Yankees’ Offensive Firepower
Offensively, the Yankees were red hot, contributing 12 hits and six strikeouts. Juan Soto had two home runs on the day, reaching 30 on the year. Aaron Judge hit his 40th homer of the season and had three hits, elevating his numbers to .328 with a .462 OBP and .699 slugging rate. In addition, Giancarlo Stanton picked up four RBIs courtesy of a three-run home run in the fifth inning and a sacrifice fly to open the game in the first. DJ LeMahieu contributed two hits with an RBI, but Anthony Volpe struggled to get going, with his on-base percentage dipping below 30%, striking out three times over four at-bats.
Reflections on a Tense Game
Overall, this was a game the Yankees should’ve easily won, but they made it close due to some poor bullpen support. They reached 70 wins on the season, 20 games earlier than they did in 2023.
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Looking Ahead to Chicago
At the moment, the Yankees are tied for first place in the American League East and will travel to Chicago to take on the White Sox starting on Monday night at 8:10 PM with an undecided pitching matchup as of Sunday evening.