The New York Yankees started their week on the right foot by pummeling what could be a direct rival in the quest for the second Wild Card spot, the Seattle Mariners. The offense finally woke up and put 12 runs on the scoreboard against just one by the M’s.
The offensive explosion was nice to see, but Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone is even happier that much-criticized right-hander Jameson Taillon was able to finally throw a gem from the mound.
He completed seven innings and surpassed the 100-pitch threshold for the first time in the season. He only conceded a single run on four hits and a walk, while fanning nine Mariners.
“That was a big pick-me-up,†the Yankees’ skipper told Betelhem Ashame of MLB.com. “I thought he was probably as good as he’s been. And the mix of pitches, the quality of really all his pitches … pounding the strike zone but mixing up his looks all the time. I just thought that was an exciting outing. He was in complete control out there. We definitely needed it.â€
The Yankees’ pitcher had everything working
The offensive performance gave Taillon an early lead and the opportunity to calmly work his way through the Mariners’ order. According to the league’s site, the righty used his entire repertoire last night: his fastball (44 pitches), curveball (22), slider (17), sinker (10) and changeup (8).
“We had everything working tonight,†Taillon said. “We used the heater up, we used it down, we got ahead in a lot of counts with curveballs. I was able to throw my better curveball later in counts for the finish. There were a few good changeups. … When I have those pitches going, it takes some pressure off my slider; I don’t have to be quite as perfect or as nasty with it. So I thought everything just coupled together and paired really well.â€
It was a night the Yankees and Taillon needed, as he has a 5.05 ERA for the season.