Empire Sports Media

DJ Lemahieu

New York Yankees: 3 Major takeaways from the Yankees 10th inning win

by

The New York Yankees went into last night’s game with the Tampa Bay Rays with the hope of taking the series from them for the second time this season. The Yankees won the first game 4-3 and last night 3-1 in ten innings. The Yankees record is now 7-8 against the Rays. Tonight the Yankees will go for the sweep with ace Gerrit Cole on the mound.

Nestor Cortes Jr. continues sharp play

After a win on Tuesday night, Nestor Cortes Jr. took to the mound last night to get the second win in a row against the rival Tampa Bay Rays; he did not disappoint. Cortes Jr. has been really sharp since he became a starter with the Yankees. Last night was no different. He went a full five innings and 79 pitches as the Yankees continue to stretch him out. He gave up just one run while striking out 5 Rays hitters. He was using all of his pitches, mystifying the Rays with all of his different looks.

He again did not get the win. He is 0-0 with a 1.93 ERA in eleven games, three of them were starts.

A rather dull game got exciting

With Nestor Cortes Jr. pitching really well and no home runs in the game for either team, it was pretty dull to watch. There were only 10 hits in the game. A problem that has dogged the Yankees all season continued last night as they left 6 on base going 1-10 with runners in scoring position. Last night’s Yankee bullpen was brilliant, not allowing a run after Cortes Jr. left after five innings.

If the first eight innings were on the dull side that all changed in the ninth inning with Chad Green on the mound, he held the Rays down with the game tied at 1, forcing the 10th inning.  In the tenth inning, with ghost runner Gio Urshela at second, Greg Allen against Pete Fairbanks got hit by a pitch advancing to first. Aaron Judge, with two on and no outs, singled to left. Urshela scored. That knocked Fairbanks out to the game. He was replaced by Andrew Kittredge, who threw a wild pitch scoring another New York Yankees run.

At the bottom of the frame with a two-run lead, closer Aroldis Chapman came in to close it out for the Yankees; that’s when it got really interesting. Diaz was the ghost running at second. Lowe struck out on a 101 mph fastball. Arozarena walked. Nelson Cruz pinch hit for Wendle. On a wild pitch, Diaz went to third and was called out. Upon review, he was called safe. Cruz then, with men on second and third, struck out. Mejia flew out to LeMahieu, who made a spectacular on-the-ground catch to end the inning and winning it for the New York Yankees.

Aaron Judge scratched at the last moment

Slugger Aaron Judge was scheduled in the lineup but at the very last moment was scratched from the lineup with no explanation. He wasn’t even seen in the dugout through the first five innings, causing fans to believe he might be sick or injured. But in the fifth inning, he appeared out of nowhere to pinch hit for Estevan Florial. Judge remained for the rest of the game.

After the game, in an interview with Meredith Marakovits, he explained after returning from the Covid list Tuesday night, there were further tests, and those tests were not returned before the start of Wednesday night’s game. Once those tests came back, he was available. Of the Yankee players that went on the Covid list, Judge was the only one that was not asymptomatic. When Marakovits asked if he was vaccinated, he avoided the question.

 

Yankees News: DJ LeMahieu pushing for blockbuster trade with former teammate

by
trevor story, new york yankees

One way or another, the New York Yankees are going to have to make a future decision on Gleyber Torres and if he is a viable long-term solution at shortstop. By all accounts, Torres is simply not cut out for the position, considering he hosts a .958 fielding percentage and 13 errors this year. The league average at shortstop regarding fielding percentage is .973, and Torres comes in well below that threshold. With that being said, the Bombers could be eyeing a potential replacement for him by the trade deadline on Friday, and Colorado Rockies star Trevor Story stands out.

However, while Story has been rumored to be a target for New York, they’ve also considered the idea of moving him to centerfield, where they desperately need more help. Nonetheless, Story is in the final year of a two-year, $27.5 million contract and is owed $17.5 million this season. The Rockies would pick up half of that number as we are at the midway point, and he would immediately help a roster in desperate need of reinforcements.

Former teammate, DJ LeMahieu, had a glowing review of Story, attesting to his qualities with the bat and awesome defensive prowess, per NJ.com (paywall):

“Baseball-wise, obviously, it kind of speaks for itself. He’s extremely talented and does all the little things well. He’s fast. He plays good defense. He’s a good player,” LeMahieu said.

“He can hit any fastball,” LeMahieu said. “He’s a really good fastball hitter. He does the little things, too. He’ll move a guy. He’s a team guy. Physically, he’s just extremely talented. He’ll take anyone’s heater away from them.

Story is having a down year offensively, hitting .242 with 12 homers and 46 RBIs. However, that is better than the majority of the Yankee batters, and while he’s not providing incredible hitting, his defense remains as good as ever.

“He makes all the routine plays and he’s got the ability to make some very athletic plays. He turns hits into outs. To me, his defensive game has really grown over the years. He’s gotten way better. Not that he was bad, but he’s more consistent, which you should be at shortstop.”

With Story in the final year of his contract, the Yankees likely wouldn’t have to give up the farm for him, but rather a few prospects. The Bombers have plenty of talent in the minors to consider offering, but they have to be sure that Trevor can aid them in their quest to reach the postseason. Currently, the Yankees sit 9.0 games back in the AL East and 3.5 games back in the Wild Card. Their best bet is reaching the Wild Card game to try and sneak their way into the postseason.

New York Yankees: Takeaways from the Yankees’ shutout of the Houston Astros

by
New York Yankees, Brett Gardner

With the All-Star Game in the headlights, the New York Yankees last night started an important series with their hated rival, the Houston Astros. After taking the Seattle Mariners series, the Yankees really wanted to take this one, too, going into the break. With Nestor Cortes Jr. on the mound, the Yankees easily took game one from the Astros, only allowing them three hits in the game. The final score was 4-0 for the shutout of the Astros. Yankee ace Gerrit Cole will be on the mound for game two, Saturday night.

Nestor Cortes Jr. was brilliant against the Astros

Nestor Cortes Jr. took the mound last night to pitch the first game of three against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Cortes Jr. has been a good reliever for the Yankees holding down a 1.02 ERA in nine relief appearances. But the Yankees have now started him in two games while starter Corey Kluber has been on the 60 day IL. He has not disappointed.

Cortes Jr went into the fifth inning for his longest game as a starter and season-high 69 pitches allowing only two hits. Cortes Jr. was absolutely brilliant in his second start. In a shorter start against the New York Mets, he also impressed, allowing only two hits. He managed all of his pitches masterfully against a powerful Astros lineup. The Yankees won both of his starts, including the shutout last night. Cortes Jr.is quickly becoming one of the best Yankee starters, albeit a small sample.

Boone took Cortes Jr. out of the game when he walked the number nine hitter, and with two outs and only a two-run cushion, and Altuve coming up, Boone called on Lucas Luetge, who fanned Altuve for the final out. Luetge pitched 1.1 innings of no-hit ball. Chad Green gave the Yankees two innings giving up just one hit. Jonathan Loaisiga came in to close it out the ninth. The Astros could only get 3 hits off of Yankee pitching.

“Gardy” powers New York Yankees to a win

It’s no secret that Brett Gardner, although being just as sharp in the outfield, has suffered greatly when at the plate. Going into last night, he was hitting just .186 and hadn’t got a hit in his last five games. But last night, in a big spot with two on, Gardy came through with a big two-out double down the right-field line, scoring two and winning the game for the Yankees.

The New York Yankees got twelve hits off of Jake Odorizzi and company, with every Yankee getting a hit except for Giancarlo Stanton. In the seventh inning, Aaron Judge got the 500th hit of his career. Gardner, Wade, LeMahieu, and Judge all had extra-base hits in the contest. LeMahieu’s double resulted in two more insurance runs for the Yankees.

Michael King’s freak accident

Michael King was put on the 10 day IL yesterday retroactive to July 5th. The Yankees have suffered some major injuries this season, but this one was unusual. Apparently, while in the weight room, King jammed his finger between two weights. Boone said he had a contusion of the right middle finger. King tried to play catch before the last game with the Seattle Mariners, but that didn’t go well, and he was placed on the IL. He was to be a possible starter for last night’s game in Houston.

 

New York Yankees Recap: Yankees make a statement shutting out the Astros in game one

by

Tonight the New York Yankees met up with the hated Houston Astros at a packed Minutemaid Park in Houston for the first game of a three-game set. Nestor Cortes Jr. was on the mound for the Yankees and Jake Odorizzi for the Astros. If there are two teams in baseball that don’t like each other, it’s the Yankees and Astros. It was proven that the Houston Astros cheated in the 2017 season and postseason. That cheating may have cost the Yankees a trip to the World Series and Aaron Judge an MVP award that instead went to the Astros Jose Altuve.

In the first inning, Odorizzi faced the Yankees DJ LeMahieu, who ground out to left. Aaron Judge singled. Gary Sanchez singled for back-to-back singles. With men on first and second and one out, Giancarlo Staton hit into a double play to end the threat. Jose Altuve led off the bottom by being tagged on running for first. Myles Straw ground out to second. Michael Brantley lined out to Gardner in second. No score.

At the top of the second, Gleyber Torres faced off against Odorizzi and singled to center. Rougie Odor always singing for the fences stung out swinging. Gio Urshela singled. Brett Gardner, who has not hit well off of Odorizzi, flew out to left-center. Tyler Wade, with two on and two outs, popped out to left to leave two on. At the bottom, Yuli Gurriel flew out to Judge in right. Yordan Alverez lined out to first. Kyle Tucker got a ground-rule double bouncing into the bullpen. Abe Toro looped to Judge. No score.

The top of the third saw the top of the lineup for the Yankees. LeMahieu tapped out to first. Judge lined out to center. Sanchez lined out to third to end the half. At the bottom, Jason Castro lined to LeMahieu. Robel Garcia walked for the first walk of the game. Altuve skied to center. Staw flew out to Wade in left. No score.

Giancarlo Stanton struck out at the top of the fourth inning, tipping it into the catcher’s glove. Gleyber Torres got his second hit of the night to left. Rougie Odor .300 over his last seven games ground into a force out. Urshela smoked back to Odorizzi for a single. Gardner got a two-run double driving in Torres and Odor for the two-run lead. Wade chased for the final out. At the bottom, Brantley struck out. Gurriel popped out to second base. Alverez singled to second with a poor transfer to Voit. Tucker, with one on and two outs, flew out to Gardner in center. New York Yankees 2 Houston Astros 0.

The fifth inning saw the top of the lineup for the New York Yankees. LeMahieu ground out. Judge flew out to foul territory in right. Sanchez popped out to short. At the bottom of the fifth, Toro facing Cortes Jr., struck out swinging. Castro ground out to first. Garcia walked, and that was the end of the night for Cortes jr. For the first time as a starter pitched into the fifth inning and had a season-high 69 pitches. He was replaced by Lucas Luetage, who faced Altuve, who Luetge fanned out. Yankees 2 Astros 0.

The top of the sixth inning was led off by Giancarlo Stanton, who flew out to Brantley. Torres, with two hits on the night, hit into the infield for that second out. Odor struck out swinging. At the bottom, Straw against Luetge ground out to short. Brantley popped out to Urshela. Gurriel ground out to third to end the inning. New York Yankees 2 Astros 0.

The seventh inning was led off by Urshela, who was two for two on the night, slow rolled to third but couldn’t beat it out. Gardner worked a walk. Wade hit a double down the left-field line with Gardner moving to third base. LeMahieu, with two on and one out, hit the 10th pitch of the at-bat up the left-field line driving in two Yankee runs. Aaron Judge singled to third. With men on the corners and one out, Sanchez faced the new pitcher Brandon Bielak and ground out to second for a double play, but the Yankees picked up another two runs. At the bottom, Alverez struck out. Tucker doubled. Toro flew out, and Castro lined out to first to end the inning. Yankees 4 Astros 0.

The eighth inning was led off by Stanton, who ground out to third. Torres chased for the second out. Odor hit one into center over short Altuve’s head for a single. Urshela flew out to left to end the half. Robel Garcia led off the bottom of the eighth by Garcia, who struck out against Green. Altuve flew out to Gardner in center. Straw ground out to short to end the inning. New York Yankees 4 and the Houston Astro 0.

At the top of the ninth inning, Brett Gardner tapped out to the pitcher. Wade got thrown out on a ground ball to short. LeMahieu smoked on up the middle. Judge got his career 500th hit. Sanchez struck out to end the half. With the last licks on the Astros, Michael Bentley led off against the Yankees closer Jonathan Loaisiga and rolled to second for the first out. Yuli Gurriel ground out to second. Yordan Alverez struck out on a 100 mph fastball by Loaisiga to end the game in a shutout.

The final score was the New York Yankees 4 and the Houston Astros 0. The winning pitcher was Lucas Luetge, and the loser was Jake Odorizzi.

New York Yankees: Takeaways from Mariners shutout of the Yankees, drama video

by

After the New York Yankees took two games in a row from the Seattle Mariners the Yankees went into yesterday afternoon’s game hoping for the sweep. The exact opposite happened, the Yankees were shut out by the west coast team 4-0. The game ended in an unexpected drama.

Jordan Montgomery not good, not bad

Jordan Montgomery has had a frustrating season this year, and those frustrations continued last night. “Monty” took to the mound in the first inning and allowed a homer to Kyle Seager over Brett Gardner’s glove at the wall. In the second inning, Luis Torrens hammed one to left for a single. Then, Dylan Moore got a two-run shot into the left-center stands. Two poorly located pitches cost Montgomery big-time as he then went 2 outs into the seventh inning, matching Logan Gilbert all the way. Montgomery put down the Mariners 1-2-3 two innings in a row. He pitched a season-high 105 pitches.

In the game, Montgomery only allowed 4 hits while matching a season-second high 9 strikeouts. On May 21, he got his career-high 11 strikeouts. Montgomery has gotten very little run support in his games, and that was the case again yesterday as the Yankees only got one hit off of Seattle pitcher Logan Gilbert. Although Montgomery’s record has suffered, the Yankees have won 11 of his 17 starts; that’s three more than when ace Gerrit Cole starts a game.

Gerrit Cole and Jordan Montgomery have been the New York Yankees’ best pitchers this season. Unfortunately for the Yankees, both of these pitchers have lost their last three starts, adding to the downward spiral of the Yankees. Just beyond the halfway point of the season, the Yankees trail 9 games behind the division-leading Boston Red Sox.

Logan Gilbert one hit the Yankees

The Seattle Mariner’s starter Logan Gilbert was absolutely brilliant yesterday afternoon; he only allowed one Yankee hit. After the seventh inning, he had put down 18 Yankees in a row when he left the game. The Yankees only had three baserunners in the game. Giancarlo Stanton got the only hit of the game, a blistering double. The other two runners were Luke Voit, who was hit on the hand by a pitch from Gilbert, and DJ LeMahieu that Graveman hit.

The New York Yankees have been dogged all season long but having an underperforming lineup. For the most part, the only players in the lineup playing to their capabilities are Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. For a time, it looked as though Gary Sanchez was picking it up; he hit five home runs in just 9 games but has cooled off recently. The bottom line is that the Yankees just couldn’t figure out Gilbert.

Mini drama sets up after the game

For the most part, there is little poor blood between the New York Yankees and the Seattle Mariners, but something strange happened last night. It appeared that the 9th inning closer Kendall Graveman was out for blood. He pitched up and in on Rougie Odor, then hit LeMahieu resulting in a staredown by Graveman.

Hit by a pitch, LeMahieu was the Yankee’s third base runner in the ninth.. two of the Yankees’ three base runners were hit by pitch.  With last licks on the line for the New York Yankees with Locastro, LeMahieu, and Judge coming up, Locastro was pinch-hit by Rougie Odor, who popped out to shallow left. LeMahieu was hit by a pitch for the second Yankee runner of the game. Aaron Judge hit into a double play to end the game.

The two pitches “looked suspicious,” LeMahieu said. “It’s just baseball.”

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Graveman stared down LeMahieu after hitting him.

Aaron Judge followed by hitting into a game-ending double play. As the Mariners celebrated, the Yankee dugout emptied, and Judge yelled at the Mariners, which Boone said was in response to Graveman staring down LeMahieu again.

“It was a frustrating game for us,’’ LeMahieu said.

Yankees: DJ LeMahieu and Aaron Judge among All-Star game finalists

by
New York Yankees, Aaron Judge

The New York Yankees may not be playing their best baseball, but that doesn’t mean they won’t have representation in the upcoming 2021 All-Star Game. Second baseman DJ LeMahieu and right fielder Aaron Judge were announced among the All-Star Ballot finalists for the game. MLB Network made the revelation on Sunday.

Catcher Gary Sanchez, who has turned his season around with the Yankees in the month of June, was a notable omission from the All-Star finalists.

Per MLB.com, the top three vote-getters at each position (top nine in the case of outfielders) will now advance to the second phase of voting to determine the starters for the All-Star game.

The midsummer classic will be played in Colorado, at Coors Field, on July 13.

LeMahieu, who hasn’t had his best season, will compete with Toronto Blue Jays’ Marcus Semien and the Houston Astros’ Jose Altuve to be the starter.

LeMahieu hasn’t had his best season this year with the Yankees, hitting .271/.345/.377 with seven home runs and 29 RBIs in 72 games, but has turned things around in the last three weeks. He actually leads the Yankees in hits with 79.

Yankees’ Judge has been a bright spot this year

On the other hand, Judge is joined by the Angels’ Mike Trout, the Twins’ Byron Buxton, the Astros’ Michael Brantley, the Rangers’ Adolis García, the Blue Jays’ Teoscar Hernández and Randal Grichuk, the Orioles’ Cedric Mullins and Alex Verdugo of the Red Sox. Three of them will have the privilege to start.

Before Sunday’s game, Judge was .285/.382/.506 with 16 home runs and 38 RBIs in 72 games. He leads the Yankees in runs (42), homers, RBIs, total bases (133) and all three triple-slash categories, per the league’s site.

The second phase of the All-Star voting will start on Monday at noon and will end on Thursday at 2 p.m. Per MLB.com’s information, fans will be able to submit one ballot on MLB platforms and can submit up to 17 unique player votes during that 74-hour voting period

New York Yankees: 3 Major takeaways from fifth loss to the Red Sox

by

The New York Yankees had their second game of this three-game series last night and came away with another loss, their fifth straight loss to the rival Red Sox this season. The Yankees are now 5-13 against the Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays, the rivals that are ahead of them in the AL East. The Yankees now trail the East-leading Rays by six games. They lost the first game of the series 5-3 and last night’s game 4-2.

Montgomery goes six giving up 3 runs

Jordan Montgomery was on the mound last evening for the Yankees. He pitched a full six innings giving up three earned runs while walking two and striking out five Red Sox. He got through the first inning unscathed, but in the second inning, he loaded the bases. Then Kike Hernandez hit a single to bring in the first Red Sox run. Bobby Dalbec hit to right caught by Voit, but Devers scored. Next, Conner Wong singled, but Chavis ground out to end the inning. Boston Red Sox 2 Yankees 0.

Without the Yankee’s answering, Montgomery gave up another run in the third inning. Xander Bogaerts doubled to the center-field wall. Devers ground out to short. Upon review, he was safe. Renfroe reached on a single to center, and Bogaerts scored. Hernandez walked. Dalbec hit back to the track, but Gardner caught it to end the inning. Red Sox 3 Yankees 0. Montgomery did not allow a run in the final three innings of work, but the damage was done as the Yankees couldn’t score a run off of Nathan Eovaldi until the eighth inning.

Double plays, double trouble

At the beginning of June, the New York Yankees had more double plays (50) than any other baseball team. Hitting into double plays has plagued the Yankees all season long, and last night they hit into two more. Double plays and leaving men on base have cost the Yankees wins this season. DJ LeMahieu’s batting average is down this season due to the inordinate number of double plays he has hit into. In addition, getting the ball in the air has been a problem team-wide. Last night the Yankees left 9 men on base.

DJ LeMahieu had a good night

Without DJ LeMahieu, the New York Yankees would have been shut out by the Red Sox. He drove in both runs that the Yankees brought across home plate. He went four for five and had the Yankees’ lone home run. Last season LeMahieu was the baseball batting champ, hitting .364. He has not been able to come close to that this season. As of last night, he was hitting .271. His performance last night might be a sign that he is ready to break out.

With Gerrit Cole on the mound for today’s matinee, it has become a must-win situation to salvage at least one game of the series, before going back to the Stadium to face the Los Angeles Angels.

 

Yankees: DJ LeMahieu is quietly turning his season around

by

The New York Yankees haven’t had their best offensive season so far, and that’s not a secret to anyone. Several stars have struggled to get anything going at the plate, including DJ LeMahieu. The second baseman, who was re-signed on a six-year, $90 million deal in the offseason, is currently hitting .263/.338/.365 with a 98 wRC+, basically average offensive performance.

However, we know he is capable of more. He was the batting champion last year with a .364 average, and hit 10 homers in a 60-game season. This campaign, he only has six dingers and we are about to hit the halfway point.

His performance so far has been disappointing, but the Yankees know what kind of hitter they have in LeMahieu, and as a matter of fact, he is trending up as we speak.

Since June 10, the Yankees’ regular leadoff hitter is batting .326/.383/.605, with a 170 wRC+ (70 percent better than his peers, which is absolutely fantastic), three doubles, and three of his six home runs, all that in 47 plate appearances.

The Yankees are pleased with his recent performance

It’s a very small sample, for sure, but time could have been all LeMahieu needed to establish a rhythm in the batter’s box and start producing the numbers that Yankees fans have grown accustomed to.

It remains to be seen if LeMahieu can maintain such a high level of offensive performance, but recent history, namely his two dominant seasons in 2019 and 2020 with the Yankees, backs him up.

Over that timeframe, his isolated power is .279, which is more than healthy since he has been struggling to consistently lift the ball all season. His BB% is 8.5 during his recent hot stretch, and he is striking out in just 4.3 percent of his plate appearances.

We would like to see him extend this excellent performance for a little longer before officially proclaim that he is back, but the Yankees are surely enjoying the surge, one that was long overdue.

Is DJ LeMahieu officially back?

New York Yankees Recap: Runners in scoring position lose game one to the Royals

by
Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees

Tonight at the Stadium in the Bronx, the New York Yankees met up with the Kansas City Royals for game one of a three-game set at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees’ ace Gerrit Cole led off against the Kansas City Royals’ Brady Singer. Showers near the game had passed, and the game started on time but with a slightly wet outfield. The Yankees lost the game in the eighth inning 6-5.

Whit Merrifield led off against Cole in the first and ground out to third base. Carlos Santana walked. Salvatore Perez singled, getting Santana at second. Ryan O’hearn lined out to left field to end the half. At the bottom, DJ LeMahieu grounded out to second. Judge lined to second. On his first at-bat returning from the IL, Luke Voit hit the first pitch he saw for a solo homer (423′) to left field. Stanton walked. Gio Urshela slow singled to short. A passed ball lets the runners advance. Gleyber Torres walked the bases full. Clint Frazier ground out to strand 3 Yankees. No score. Singer was checked for ‘sticky’ stuff when he left the mound.

At the top of the second inning, Jorge Soler led off against Cole and grounded to third for the first out. Kevin Gutierrez ground out to second. Hunter Dozier struck out on a 97 mph fastball to end the half. Kyle Higashioka led off the bottom by homering to left field for the two-run lead for the Yankees. Brett Gardner lined out to left. LeMahieu singled to center. Aaron Judge singled with LeMahieu stopping at second base. Luke Voit, who hit a homer in the first, flew out to right. Stanton, with two on and two outs, struck out, leaving another two men on base. New York Yankees 2 Kansas City Royals 0.

Michael Taylor led off the third inning by singling to short center. Nicky Lopez singled, moving Taylor to third base. Merrifield hitting in his 378th straight game, with men on the corners and no outs, ground out, but Taylor scored on the play. Santana struck out. Perez, with a man still on second and two outs, popped out to Gardner in second. Gerrit Cole was checked for substances as he left the mound. At the bottom Urshela ground out to short. Torres went down swinging. Frazier struck out for a fast inning for Singer. Yankees 2 Royals 1.

The top of the fourth was led off by O’Hearn, who tied up the game with a homer to centerfield. Soler ground out to LeMahieu. Gutierrez struck out. Dozier flew out to Garnder. The bottom was led off by Higashioka, who homered in the second; he struck out looking for Singers’ third strikeout in a row. Gardner struck out for Singers’ fourth in a row. LeMahieu walked. Aaron Judge walked, bringing up Luke Voit walked and that was the end of the night for Singer. Stanton faced the new pitcher Kris Bubic with the bases loaded and two outs; he ground out to strand three Yankees on base. Yankees 2 Royals 2.

Taylor started the fifth by lining out to LeMahieu. Lopez flew out to Frazier in left. Merrifield hit directly back to Cole for the final out. Urshela led off the bottom by flying out to Soler in right. Torres swung and missed for a strikeout. Frazier also struck out for a 1-2-3 inning for Bubic. Yankees 2 Royals 2.

The top of the sixth was led off by Stanton, who ground out to Torres. Perez struck out swinging. O’Hearn flew out to Frazier in left. Cole was checked by umpires for the second time, leaving the mound. The bottom was led off by Higashioka, who flew out to left. Gardner, who is in a big-time slump, ground out to first. LeMahieu rolled out to second to end the scoreless inning. The game tied at 2.

Soler led off the seventh inning and walked. Jerrod Dyson pinch-running. Gutierrez went down looking. Dozier ground out to Voit, Dyson went to second. Taylor reached on a bad call. Lopez struck out on a 100 mph fastball. In the bottom, Judge flew out. Luke Voit appeared to hit a home run to left, and upon a review, it was called a triple due to fan interference. Wade pinch ran for Voit. Stanton at the plate, the ball gets away from the catcher on a wild pitch, and Wade scored for the Yankees lead. Stanton walked. Urshela walked on a hit by a pitch to his shin. Torres, in a slump of late, continued the slump with a strikeout. Frazier, also in a big-time slump, chopped out to short. New York Yankees 3 Royals 2.

On to the eighth Merrifield against the new Yankee pitcher, Jonathan Loaisiga singled. Santana doubled, moving Merrifield to third. Perez struck out. O’Hearn singled on a mishandled ball by Lemahie, and Merrifield scored to tie up the game. Dyson singled as Santana came home for the Royals lead. Gutierrez struck out. Dozier singled in front of Garnder, and O’Hearn scored. Taylor singled up the center as Dyson scored. Lopez, against the new pitcher Lucas Luetge, ground out to second. Kansas City Royals 6 New York Yankees 3.

Gary Sanchez led off pinch-hitting for Higashioka the bottom of the eighth by grounding out. Gardner walked. LeMahieu homered driving in Gardner for the one-run game. Scott Barlow faced Aaron Judge, who doubled off the left-field wall. Odor pinch-hitting for Wade popped out to Santana for the second out. Stanton ground out to third, but the Yankees made it a one-run game. Royals 6 Yankees 5.

At the top of the ninth Luetge, still on the mound, Merrifield lined to Urshela for out number one. Santana struck out for out number two. Perez popped out to Luetge for the final out. With last licks for the New York Yankees, Gio Urshela led off the bottom of the ninth against Greg Holland and chopped out to center for a single. Miguel Andujar pinch ran for Urshela. Gleyber Torres struck out for the fourth time on the night, but Andujar moved to score position. Frazier struck out. Gary Sanchez was intentionally walked. Brett Gardner popped out to lose the game.

The final score was the Kansas City Royals 6 and the New York Yankees 5. The winning pitcher was Jake Brentz, and the loser was Jonathan Loaisiga; Greg Holland got the save.

New York Yankees Recap: Yankees lose the first game to the Athletics

by

Tonight the New York Yankees were back at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx to face the first-place team in the AL West, the Oakland Athletics. It was the first time since 2019 that the Yankees were allowed a 100% capacity at the Stadium. The Yankees are coming off a sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays and hope they can do well against the A’s. Jonathan Taillon faced the A’s, James Kaprielian in game one of the three-game set. The A’s won the game 5-3.

With Taillon on the mound, he faced the A’s leadoff man Mark Canha who leads the A’s in triples; he ground out to short. Ramon Laureano struck out swinging. Matt Olsen homered into the stands in right field. Mitch Moreland struck out to end the half. In the bottom, LeMahieu flew out. Aaron Judge struck out. Gleyber Torres went down on strikes for a 1-2-3 inning for Kaprielian. Oakland 1 New York 0.

At the second, Jed Lowrie led off and flew out to Andujar in left. Matt Chapman ground out to Urshela. Sean Murphy ground out for the second 1-2-3 inning for Taillon. At the bottom, Giancarlo Stanton struck out. Gio Urshela struck out swinging. Rougie Odor ground out for Kaprielian’s second 1-2-3 inning. A’s 1 Yankees 0.

At the top of the third, Tony Kemp popped out to Judge. Elvis Andrus doubled to left center. Canha singled up center to drive in Andrus. Laureano flew out to Judge. Olson flew out to end the half. Miguel Andujar led off the bottom by grounding out. Kyle Higashioka flew out to short. Brett Gardner walked for the first Yankee base runner. LeMahieu got a two-run homer to right to tie up the game. Judge went down on strikes—Yankees 2 A’s 2.

Moreland doubled to lead off the fourth, Lowrie ground out. Chapman flew out to Gardner. Murphy was it by a pitch. Kemp popped out to LeMahieu to end the half. Torres led off the bottom by striking out. Stanton ground out to second. Urshela struck out for another quick inning for both pitchers. The game tied at 2.

Andrus led off the fifth and struck out swinging. Canha walked. Laureano went down on strikes. Wandy Peralta replaced Taillon. Olson flew out to Gardner at the center-field wall to end the half. Rougie Odor led off the bottom of the fifth by slamming a homer to right-center. Andujar flew out to right. Higashioka flew out to left. Gardner ground out to first, but the Yankees took the lead in the game. Yankees 3 A’s 2.

The top of the sixth inning was led off by Chad Pinder pinch-hitting for Moreland; he struck out. Lowrie ground out to short. Chapman got a base hit to left. Murphy singled to left for two on and two outs. Kemp hit a three-run homer for the A’s lead. Andrus flew out to Judge, but Kemp’s three-run shot did the damage. At the bottom, it was the top of the lineup for the Yankees. LeMahieu ground out to first. Judge looped to right for a single. Judge advanced on a wild pitch. Torres flew out to left, and Judge took third. Stanton faced the new A’s pitcher Yusmeiro Petit, and he got a long fly out to left to end the inning. A’s 5 Yankees 3.

Canha led off the seventh singling to center. A pitch hit Laureano. With two on and no outs, Olson popped out. The runners moved up on passed ball by Higgy. Pinder struck out. Lowrie struck out, saving the inning for Luetge. At the bottom, Urshela singled past short. Odor, who homered in the fifth, popped out to third. Andujar flew out to center. Sanchez pinch-hitting for Higashioka popped out to third to end the inning and strand Urshela. A’s 5 Yankees 3.

With Luis Cessa on the mound in the eighth, Chapman popped out to left. Murphy went down on strikes. Kemp hit to Judge at the warning track. Clint Frazier pinch-hitting for Gardner led off the bottom by striking out looking. LeMahieu ground out to second. Judge struck out, taking the game to the ninth inning. A’s 5 Yankees 3.

At the ninth, Andrus ground out to third. Canha went down on strikes. Laureano got a two-out single to left. Olson ground out up the first baseline on a toss from Cessa to LeMahieu to end the half. With last licks on the line, Gleyber Torres ground out to short. Giancarlo Stanton walked. Gio Urshela ground into a double play to end the game.

The final score was the Oakland Athletics 5 and the New York Yankees 3. The winning pitcher was James Kaprielian, the loser Wandy Peralta and the save was by Lou Trivino, his 12th.