gerrit cole

New York Yankees: 4 Major takeaways from 14-0 shutout of the Yankees

July 30, 2021 by William Parlee

The New York Yankees entered last night’s game with the Tampa Bay Rays feeling fully confident that they would sweep the Rays with ace Gerrit Cole on the mound for the Yankees. Unfortunately, that is not close to what happened; instead, the Rays shut out the Yankees 14-0. Another case this season as the Yankees take two steps forward and one step back. Nevertheless, the Yankees did take the series.

Gerrit Cole loses the game before recording an out

It would be an understatement to say that Yankee ace Gerrit Cole didn’t have it as he stepped to the mound in the first inning of last night’s game. Cole gave up four runs without recording an out. With the Yankees not hitting, the death knell led to a 14 run shut out from the Rays. Once that was over, Cole settled in and put down 8 in a row at one point. With his secondary pitches not working, he had to revert to solely throwing his fastball.

In his time with the Yankees, Cole has never given up 8 runs in a game, making this his worst outing in years. It is the first time since 1912 that a pitcher has given up eight runs in a game while recording 10 strikeouts. It is also the first time the Yankees have given up 14 runs in a game since last year against the Toronto Blue Jays at Buffalo.

This loss has to be a concern for the Yankees; it’s Cole’s second loss in a row when he couldn’t complete six innings. His last loss was a critical one against the Boston Red Sox. This trend can’t be acceptable to the Yankees; as the season progresses, he is trending down, not up. After April, Cole’s ERA was 1.43; now, it has risen to 3.11, which is still good but not what you want to see from your ace.

Yankees’ lack of hitting continues

The Yankees’ lack of hitting all season continues to dog them in most games. Last night was no different. The Yankees could only muster up 4 hits in the game. With three runners in scoring position, no home runs, they couldn’t bring a run home. Most concerning last night was Giancarlo Stanton, who stuck out three times with one walk. Stanton, who was a legitimate spark before the All-Star break, has not hit the ball since then. He had 16 home runs then, and that is where it sits. Both Judge and Stanton should be the power bats in the lineup, but Stanton is missing in action.

By taking this series, the Yankees now have a winning record at Tropicana Field for the first time since 2015. The Yankees are now 7 and 9 against the Rays this season, with the last 3 games between the teams to be played at Yankee Stadium to end the season in September.

Yankees give up 10 in the sixth

After giving up four runs in the early part of the first inning, Gerrit Cole pitched well into the sixth inning, striking out 10 Rays. But everything went south in the sixth inning, putting the Yankees in an unrecoverable 14 run hole. In the sixth, Cole gave up another two runs before being removed from the game, leaving two on base that was his responsibility. With the bullpen, overused Boone sent Michael Abreu to replace Cole. However, the Rays had their way with Abreu, who gave up another eight runs including the two base runners Cole left.

Sal Romano did his job; between the seventh and eighth, he allowed two hits but kept the Rays scoreless. On a good note, the Yankees sent out their newest pitcher Clay Holmes in his Yankee debut. He pitched a hitless ninth inning for the Yankees.

Hal means business

New York Yankees general partner Hal Steinbrenner said recently that he doesn’t see the Yankees as sellers at the trade deadline. It seems he was true to his word. The Yankees acquired Joey Gallo from the Texas Rangers and last night announced that they had acquired first baseman Anthony Rizzo from the Chicago Cubs. With $4 million left without going over the luxury tax threshold and a 4 o’clock deadline today, he may still improve the team.

New this season, after the deadline today, there will be no waiver deals made. At the end of today, the team will be what they will go with the rest of the season. With the additions of Gallo and Rizzo, it seems Cashman is addressing the lack of left-hand hitters in the lineup. If there is another deal coming before that deadline, it will most likely be in the pitching department.

New York Yankees Recap: Yankees totally embarrassed in sweep attempt

July 29, 2021 by William Parlee

This afternoon the New York Yankees and ace Gerrit Cole went for what may be their most important game this season. A sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees have had big problems this season winning against the Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays. However, in the past two nights, the Yankees have taken the first two games of the series and had a chance for the sweep today and a possible turnaround to their season. Cole faced the Tampa Bay pitcher Luis Patino. The sweep was not to be had as the Rays shut out the Yankees 14-0.

At the first, DJ LeMahieu went down on strikes. Aaron Judge singled to right-center. Odor flew out to center. A wild pitch allowed Judge to go to second. Giancarlo Stanton went down on a Patino slider to end the scoreless half.

Brandon Lowe, at the bottom of the inning, took the first pitch he saw from Cole for his 23rd home run of the season, just above the right-field foul pole. Upon review, it was called a foul ball over the foul pole. Lowe finally singled to short and beat out the throw. Ji-Man Choi, who has been a Cole killer (10-21), walked. Yandy Diaz singled, driving in Lowe for the Rays lead. Austin Meadows hit a three-run home run to center to give the Rays a four-run lead without Cole getting a single out. Randy Arozarena went down swinging. Wander Franco struck out. Kevin Kiermaier flew out sharply to Florial in center. Tampa Bay Rays 4 New York 0.

The top of the second was led off by Gleyber Torres, who singled to right. Gio Urshela lofted one to right field for the first out. Brett Gardner hit an infield single. Kyle Higashioka went down looking. Estevan Florial flew out to left to end the half. At the bottom, Mike Zunino ground out to second. Brett Phillips struck out. Lowe went down on a changeup for a 1-2-3 inning comeback for Cole. Rays 4 Yankees 0.

LeMahieu led off the third inning flew out to centerfield. Judge also flew out to center. Odor made the third out to center for a quick half for Patino. Choi led off the bottom of the inning by flying out to Gardner in left. Diaz doubled past Urshela. Meadows went down on strikes. Arozarena struck out on a Cole slider to end the inning. Rays 4 Yankees 0.

The fourth inning saw Stanton at the plate; he struck out. Torres went down on strikes. Urshela made the third strikeout. At the bottom, Franco flew out to left. Kiermaier went down on strikes, and Zunino stuck out swinging. Rays 4 Yankees 0.

The fifth inning was led off by Brett Gardner, who flew out to left. Higashioka popped out to Choi at first. Florial drew a walk, but LeMahieu flew out to right to end the half. At the bottom of the fifth, with 71 pitches and 8 strikeouts from Cole, Phillips became the ninth victim. Lowe flew out to center. Choi got Cole’s 10th strikeout. Rays 4 Yankees 0.

Aaron Judge led off the sixth inning by walking. Odor went down looking. Stanton struck out for the third time. Torres flew out to the warning track in left. Diaz led off the bottom and ground out to second. Meadows had a line-drive single to center. Arozarena got a short base hit to right, holding Meadows at second. Franco walked to load up the bases with Rays. Kiermaier doubled to allow two runs to score. Those two runs and 105 pitches thrown knocked Cole out of the game.

Albert Abreu replaced him, facing Zunino, who walked to reload the bases. Phillips had a grand slam to put the Rays up 10 runs. Lowe walked. Choi homered up the center-field seats for another two runs. Diaz singled to left. Meadows followed with another home run, finally knocking Abreu out of the game. Still, with only one out and after giving up 10 runs in the inning Sal Romano took to the mound to face Arozarena, who had a ground-rule double with a ball that bounced beyond Judge into the right-field stands. Franco went down looking for the second out of the inning. Kiermaier singled to center. Zunino flew out to Judge in right to finally end the inning, with the Rays tacking on 10 runs in the inning. Rays 14 Yankees 0.

At the top of the seventh, Louis Head was on the mound for the Rays to face Tyler Wade pinch-hitting for Urshela; he went down swinging. Brett Gardner popped out to third. Higashioka popped out to Choi at first. At the bottom, with Romano still on the mound, Phillips was called out on strikes. Lowe flew out to left, and Choi struck out looking for a 1-2-3 inning for Romano. Rays 14 Yankees 0.

The eighth inning was led off by Estevan Florial, who singled to left. LeMahieu flew out to center. Ryan LaMarre pinch-hitting for Judge as it appears the Yankees have conceded the game struck out. With Odor coming to the plate, Head was replaced by Ryan Sherriff, Odor with one on and two outs, flew out to left. At the bottom of the inning Clay Holmes, the new Yankee reliever, made his Yankee debut. He led off, grounding out Diaz. Meadows flew out to Florial in center. Arozarena was called out on strikes as Holmes had a 1-2-3 inning in his Yankee debut.

With last licks on the line for the New York Yankees Giancarlo Stanton took to the plate with the Yankees behind 14 runs, he walked. Gleyber Torres ground into a double play. Tyler Wade flew out to center to end an embarrassing loss for the Yankees.

The final score was the Tampa Bay Rays 14 and the New York Yankees 10. The winning pitcher was Luis Patino and the loser was Gerrit Cole.

New York Yankees: Gerrit Cole goes for the sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays today

July 29, 2021 by William Parlee

This afternoon the New York Yankees and ace Gerrit Cole go for what may be their most important game this season. A sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees have had big problems this season winning against the Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays. However, in the past two nights, the Yankees have taken the first two games of the series and have a chance for the sweep today and a possible turnaround to their season.

At 1:05 pm today, Gerrit Cole will face righty Luis Patino. Cole has been the Yankee’s most successful pitcher. He is 10-5 with an ERA of 2.74 and an incredible baseball-leading 166 strikeouts. He is coming off a loss to the Boston Red Sox. Back on July 10th, he pitched a complete-game shutout of the Houston Astros. Only one Ray has Cole’s number. Ji-Mon Choi has a .667 batting average against Cole in 12 at-bats.

The Rays will send out Luis Patino to face Cole. Patino is a righty that is 1-2 with an ERA of 5.26. Patino is a starter and long reliever for the Rays. He seldom goes more than four innings. This will be the seventh start of his pitching career. The Yankees have little experience with Patino. Only DJ LeMahieu and Gio Urshela have gotten a hit off him. The matinee game will be televised on the YES Network and Bally Sports Sun.

Cole, 30, was born on September 8, 1990, in Newport Beach, California, to Mark and Karen Cole. Cole’s father was from New York and a Yankee fan. His father would tell him Lou Gehrig and other famous Yankees stories, and the young boy would quickly become a Yankee fanatic. His father certainly nurtured Cole’s interest in the Yankees by flying him across the country seven times to Yankee Stadium to see his idols, Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter, and Andy Pettitte. Then, in 2001 his Dad would take the young Cole to the World Series in Arizona to see his favorite Yankees play. The eleven-year-old could be seen in the stands with a Yankee uniform and cap on while holding a sign saying “Yankee Fan Today, Tomorrow, Forever”.

Through the Pittsburgh Pirate organization, Cole was traded to the Houston Astros, where he blossomed, becoming one of the best pitchers in the game. Cole was originally drafted by the Yankees in 2008 but decided to attend college at UCLA. That young boy with the sign in the stands in 2001 became a New York Yankee in December of 2019 when Hal Steinbrenner and company signed a $324 million contract with the then 29-year-old star pitcher.

In the shortened 2020 season, Cole was 7-3 with an ERA of 2.84. Yankee fans thought that although he was dominant, he wasn’t the same pitcher that went 20-5 for Houston the previous year. So far this year, He is 10-5 with an ERA of 2.74. With the poor hitting Yankees, Cole hasn’t gotten a lot of run support. If he did, his record would be better still. On July 10th Cole threw a career-high 129 pitches in a complete-game win over the Houston Astros, striking out 12. Cole is tied for fourth-most wins in all of baseball and with the third-lowest ERA.

Cole and his family moved to Greenwich, CT, a suburb of New York. The 6’4″ Cole is married to his wife Amy, who he met as a softball player at UCLA. His brother-in-law is Brandon Crawford of the San Francisco Giants. He and his wife love to cook and entertain family and friends. Cole is a healthy cook and a nutritional nut. Amy has a blog called “the Culinary Experience.” The two gave birth to a son last summer. Cole has a younger sister Erin.

New York Yankees: Tampa Bay Rays series preview of a must-win series

July 27, 2021 by William Parlee

Last week, the New York Yankees went into a four-game series with the Boston Red Sox, hoping to win that series. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen; the Yankees couldn’t even split the series. That loss makes the series that starts tonight with the Tampa Bay Rays even more important to put it into the win column for the struggling Yankees. The series will be played under the dome at Tropicana Field.

The Yankees are now just one half-game from 10 games out in the AL East. The Yankees started the season with what most thought was a championship team. Performance has shown that that has not been proven to be true. A championship team wins more than they lose, a lot more wins than the Yankees have been able to win. A championship team leads its division. The fact is that the Yankees have not been able to beat the teams ahead of them in the division.

Tampa Bay is one of those teams. In the first series of the season, the Yankees won one of 3. Then, in mid-April, the Rays swept the Yankees. In mid-May, the Yankees took 2 of 3. Finally, in early June, they split a four-game series. Going into this series, the Yankees are 5-8 against the Rays this season. The Yankees really need a win in this series to begin a difficult climb up in the AL East standings.

Tonight, July 27, 7:10 pm:

The New York Yankees, tonight, will send Jordan Montgomery to the mound to face Shane McClanahan. The game at Tropicana Field will begin at 7:10 pm. Montgomery has been the bad luck kid getting little, if any, run support. The Yankees have only scored 10 runs in his last 6 starts. That’s less than 2 runs a game. Monty is 3-5 with an ERA of 3.96 with 105 strikeouts. However, he has pitched much better than the stats suggest. Monty hopes in this important game against the Rays; he will get some help.

Shane McClanahan will start for the Tampa Bay Rays. He is a lefty that is 4-3 with a 3.88 ERA and 78 strikeouts. McClanahan coming off two wins in a row, one against the Blue Jays and one against the Orioles. This month he has allowed two walks per game. All of the regular Yankees have hit well off of McClanahan this season. Tonight’s game is televised on WPIX and its affiliates in New York, Bally Sports Sun in Florida, and MLBN out of market nationally.

Wednesday, July 28, 7:10 pm:

Back off the Covid list, Nestor Cortes Jr. will start the Wednesday evening game against Michael Wacha. Cortes has pitched masterfully, replacing Corey Kluber in the rotation. The Yankees have won his last four starts giving up just one run. He is 0-0 with an ERA of 1.95 with 34 strikeouts. Most of the Rays players have not seen much of Cortes. Only Yandy Diaz has hit well off of Cortes.

The Rays righty Michael Wacha will start for the Rays. He is 2-2 with a 5.16 ERA and 34 strikeouts. The Rays have won his last three starts while giving up eight runs. Both Brett Gardner and DJ LeMahieu have .333 batting averages off him. Gio Urshela has had the best record going .400 in five plate appearances. Wednesday night’s game will be televised on the YES Network, Bally Sports Sun, and nationally on ESPN.

Thursday, July 30, 1:10 pm:

Thursday’s matinee will feature New York Yankee ace Gerrit Cole pitted against righty Luis Patino. Cole has been the Yankee’s most successful pitcher. He is 10-5 with an ERA of 2.74 and an incredible baseball-leading 166 strikeouts. He is coming off a loss to the Boston Red Sox. Back on July 10th, he pitched a complete-game shutout of the Houston Astros. Only one Ray has Cole’s number. Ji-Mon Choi has a .667 batting average against Cole in 12 at-bats.

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

July 24, 2021 by William Parlee

After a devastating tenth inning loss to the Red Sox on Thursday night, the New York Yankees, with their ace Gerrit Cole on the mound, were hoping to get back to their winning ways. Unfortunately, it was not to happen. Instead, they lost the second game of the series 6-2. Now they have the challenging task of winning the next two games so they can at least come away from Fenway Park with a split and feeling a little better about themselves.

Cole’s stuff wasn’t good enough

If the New York Yankees were going to win a game in this four-game set against the Boston Red Sox, last night was the night with Yankee ace Gerrit Cole on the mound. After all, he had won his last two outings in great fashion, one a complete 129 pitch game against the Houston Astros. The other win was against these same Boston Red Sox when he allowed just one run on the night.

Last night in an aftergame interview, Cole explained that for the most part, he made his pitches, but last night the Sox wore him down early, throwing 70 pitches in the first three innings. He lasted only five innings using 104 pitches. The big blow came in the fifth inning when Rafael Devers took a good pitch and hit it into the monster seats at Fenway. Cole called Devers a special player for his ability to hit that pitch. In his usual candid way, he also admitted that the whole Red Sox lineup was working on all cylinders last night. Cole was making pitches over 100mph, but they just weren’t good enough.

Lack of hitting continues to dog the Yankees

Last night was deja vu all over again. Like in so many games this season, the New York Yankee lineup didn’t hit the ball. They could only muster up six hits in the game. With hits and walks, they left eleven Yankees on the bases last night. Basically, the Yankees only hit the ball against bad pitchers or good pitchers that make bad mistakes. This situation has dogged them in almost all games this season.

There may be some excuse for it last night as the Yankees are not operating at full strength. Last night missing from the lineup, was slugger Aaron Judge, third baseman Gio Urshela, both on the Covid list. They were also short first baseman Luke Voit who is out with a bum knee. Still, the Yankees had opportunities in the game but failed to take advantage of them.

Last night the Yankees did not hit a home run, and when they don’t hit home runs, they seldom win. Brett Gardner and Rougie Odor had the only RBI’s in the game. Giancarlo Stanton was patient at the plate, getting a hit and taking two walks. The Yankees had their chances with starter Eduardo Rodriguez leaving the game after the first inning and the Yankees trying to beat up the Boston bullpen for the next 8 innings. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen as the Yankees struck out twelve times against 6 Sox pitchers.

The hitting star of the game was Rafael Devers with his two home runs. Devers drove in five of the six Red Sox runs. Gerrit Cole was correct; Devers is a very special player.

Gary Sanchez injured in the fifth

With 16 on the injured or Covid list, the beleaguered New York Yankees took another blow last night. In the fifth inning catcher, Gary Sanchez had to leave the game with what was described as back spasms. With backup catcher Kyle Higashioka already on the Covid list, this presents a big problem for the Yankees. Unless Sanchez goes on the IL, the Yankees will have to send a player down as they call up another backup catcher. After the game last night, Boone was asked if Sanchez would be available to catch on Saturday afternoon. Boone responded that it was too early to tell and evaluate the situation in the morning.

Note: Today’s game at Fenway Park is at 4:05 pm, with Jameson Taillon on the mound for the Yankees and Nathan Eovaldi for the Red Sox. The game will be televised on the YES Network, NESN in Boston, and nationally on FS1.

New York Yankees Recap: Cole falls short in Yankees second loss to the Red Sox

July 23, 2021 by William Parlee

Last night after a devastating 10 inning loss, the New York Yankees faced the Boston Red Sox in game two of the four-game weekend set. Ace Gerrit Cole faced the Boston Red Sox ace, Eduardo Rodriguez, in a near must-win situation for the New York Yankees if they wished to advance in the AL East against their first-place rival. However, Cole fell short in the end, and the Yankees lost the game 6-2.

DJ LeMahieu faced Rodgriguez in the first inning and lined out to left field. Giancarlo Stanton struck out on an outside change. Rougie Odor ground out, and the Yankees went down in order. In the bottom, Enrique Hernandez led off against Gerrit Cole and ground out to second. Jerran Duran went down on strikes. Xander Bogaerts singled to right. Rafael Devers went down looking for the final out of the scoreless inning.

In the second, Gary Sanchez led off by walking. Gleyber Torres got a single off the diving Bogaerts in left, moving Sanchez to second base. Brett Gardner got an RBI double with two on and no outs, scoring Sanchez and Torres moving to third. Chris Gittens faced new pitcher Phillips Valdez after E-Rod left the game with some type of injury. Gittens with a run in, two on, and no outs went down on strikes. Ryan LaMarre was plunked in the shoulder to load the bases. Greg Allen, with the bases loaded and one out he went down on strikes. DJ LeMahieu, with the bases still loaded with Yankees, struck out, leaving the bases loaded, but the Yankees took the lead in the game. New York 1 Boston 0.

At the bottom of the second, JT Martinez went down on strikes from Cole. Alex Verdugo went down swinging. Hunter Renfroe fighting off pitches singled to short. Christian Vazquez flew out to LaMarre in left-center. New York Yankees 1 Boston Red Sox 0.

The third inning was scoreless, as was the fourth inning. Then, finally, the fifth inning saw the Boston Red Sox score three runs, including a homer by Rafael Devers off Gerrit Cole to take the lead for the Red Sox. Bogaerts and Devers combined for the other two runs. Boston Red Sox 3 New York Yankees 1.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Nestor Cortes Jr., fresh off the Covid list, pitched a clean sixth inning, striking out one and not allowing a hit. Gerrit Cole went only five innings giving up the three Boston runs in an unusually short outing while striking out eight and walking two. The Sox wore down Cole, who used 100 pitches to get through the fifth inning.

At the top of the seventh, Gerret Whitlock took over the pitching for the Boston Red Sox. Estevan Florial went down swinging. Greg Allen was hit in the shin and took first base. LeMahieu singled. Stanton, with a chance to tie up the game, ground out to third. With two on and two outs, Odor flew out to right-center to end the threat from the Yankees. At the bottom, Dalbec against Cortes Jr. went down swinging. Hernandez singled to right. Duran also singled to right for two on and one out. Bogaerts struck out. Devers got another home run just over the left-center wall to make it 6-1 Red Sox. It was announced that Sanchez left the game with back spasms.

In the eighth inning, with the Yankees behind five runs, Brantly, who took over for Sanchez, lined out to first. Torres advanced on a hit by pitch. Gardner went down on strikes. Gittens, who got a hit earlier, walked. Florial, who pinch-hit for LaMarre in the seventh and with two on and two outs, made the final out of the half, leaving two Yankees stranded. At the bottom, Verdugo, against the new Yankee pitcher Justin Wilson flew out to Gardner. Renfroe went down looking. Vazquez walked, but Dalbec ground out to end the inning. Red Sox 6 the Yankees 1.

With last licks on the line for the Yankees at the top of the ninth inning against Brandon, Workman flew out to center. LeMahieu tapped right back to Workman. Giancarlo Stanton, who walked twice on the night, got an infield hit. Rougie Odor doubled to far left field right in front of the green monster. Stanton scored. Rob Brantley flew out to foul territory at first to end the game.

The final score was the Boston Red Sox 6 and the New York Yankees 2. The winning pitcher was Yacksel Rios, and the loser was Gerrit Cole.

New York Yankees: Yankees enter critical series with the Red Sox – Preview

July 22, 2021 by William Parlee

Under impossible odds, the New York Yankees are trying to pull themselves out of a self-created hole they have made for themselves in the AL East. In that effort, they have now won four straight games. They took a series from the Red Sox and most recently swept the Philadelphia Phillies with a walk-off win in the tenth inning last night when call-up Ryan LeMarre singled, initiating the win.

What makes this recent turnaround so incredible is that the Yankees have won with 18 players injured or on the Covid list. Some of the biggest names on that list are slugger Aaron Judge, the Yankees’ most productive player, and Gold Glove-like consistent hitter Gio Urshela. Luke Voit is also out of the lineup with a knee injury. They are also without starters Corey Kluber, Nestor Cortes Jr., and Michael King. The Yankees have called up player after player from the minors and have performed admirably for the most part. In some cases, a replacement has replaced another replacement at the same position. None on the Covid list will return to the team during the Boston series.

Regardless of the recent success, the Yankees have only advanced one game in the East and have much work to do to turn their sour season around completely. Tonight they enter a four-game series with the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. This is a crucial series where the Yankees can really move up in the East standings or possibly shut the door on any rebound. With the recent success, they are now 7 games behind the East-leading Red Sox and six games behind the second-place Tampa Bay Rays. All of their next seven games are between these two teams.

Tonight, July 22, 7:10 pm:

Jordan Montgomery will take to the mound tonight in game one against the Red Sox. The lefty is 3-5 with an ERA of 4.18 and 99 strikeouts. Montgomery has gotten very little run support in his games; in fact, in his last four games, he has gotten no run support at all. Nevertheless, the Yankees have won 11 of his 18 starts. The Yankees hope Monty can go deep into the game after using 11 relievers in the last two days. Monty will have to be careful with Xander Bogaerts; he has a .474 batting average off him in 19 at-bats.

Montgomery will face the Red Sox pitcher Tanner Houck. He is a righty that is 0-2 with an ERA of 3.38. Houck has pitched in only 4 games this season, 2 as a starter. His last game was a save for the Red Sox against the Yankees when he came in in the seventh inning to finish off the Yankees in game one of the last series. While most Yankees were hitless off of Houck, Tyler Wade and callup Greg Allen got a hit off of him.

Tonight’s game will be broadcast on the YES Network, NESN, and MLBN out of market.

Friday, July 23, 7:10 pm:

New York Yankee ace Gerrit Cole will start in game two on Friday night. Cole is 10-4 on the season with an ERA of 2.63. He leads all of baseball with 158 strikeouts. Cole is coming off two consecutive wins, one a complete game with a career-high 129 pitches against the Houston Astros, the other a 96 pitch win over the Red Sox on July 17. When the Sox take the field, Cole had better hope that Danny Santana isn’t standing at first base. Santana has a .643 batting average off Cole in 14 at-bats.

Cole will face the Boston ace Eduardo Rodriguez a lefty who is 7-5 with an ERA of 5.19 and 112 strikeouts. E-Rod has faced the Yankees three times this season, winning all of his starts, the most recent was a shutout of the Yankees on July 16th. Rougie Odor has E-Rods number; he has a .374 batting average off him in 9 at-bats.

Friday night’s game will be televised on WPIX and its affiliates, NESN, and MLBN out of market.

Saturday, July 24, 4:10 pm:

Saturday’s later afternoon game will feature Jameson Taillon pitching for the New York Yankees. Taillon is a righty that is 5-4 with an ERA of 4.60. Taillon is not a strikeout pitcher but relies on ground ball-outs. He and Domingo German have been the Yankees’ most undependable starters, although he has pitched better in his last two outings. Taillon is coming off a win against these very Red Sox when he pitched 5.1 shutout innings. Xander Bogaerts and Hunter Renfro have been Yankees killers with Taillon on the mound.

Taillon will face the righty former Yankee pitcher Nathan Eovaldi. Eovaldi for the Red Sox is 9-5 with an ERA of 4.60, he like Taillon is also not a strikeout pitcher; he has only 89 on the season. He is coming off two straight losses, one against the Angels and one against the Yankees on July 17. He was the loser in that rain-shortened game. Over his career with the Red Sox, only DJ LeMahieu and Greg Allen have been successful off him with batting averages of .338 and .500.

Saturday’s game will be televised on the YES Network, NESN, and FS1.

Sunday, July 25, 1:10 pm:

Sunday’s matinee will pit Domingo German against Martin Perez. German has been a puzzle this season for the Yankees. He is 4-5 with an ERA of 4.71. Near the beginning of the season, the Yankees won six of his starts in a row. But more recently, the Yankees have lost 3 or his last 5 starts. The Yankees don’t know what they will get with German; he could be lights out but more frequently struggles. German puzzles some Sox, Bogaerts hits well off on him, while Devers has a .133 average off him in 15 at-bats.

Geman will face Martin Perez, a lefty that is 7-6 with an ERA of 4.16. Perez is coming off of two losses, one against the Phillies and one against the Yankees on July 18th. He has been dogged all season long by not going deeper into games. In the Yankees 9-1 win, he went only 4 innings giving up 3 earned runs. Several Yankees hit well against him in Stanton, LeMahieu, and Odor.

Sunday’s finale will be televised on the YES Network, NESN, and on TBS out of market.

In the next month, both of these teams will see the return of important pitchers to their rotation. Ace Chris Sales will return to the Boston Red Sox first, with Luis Severino returning some near the end of August. The New York Yankees are also expecting the return of Corey Kluber in September.

New York Yankees: 3 Takeaways from wet and wild Yankees’ win over the Sox (video)

July 18, 2021 by William Parlee

The New York Yankees finally won a game against their hated rival, the Boston Red Sox. Previous to last night, they had not won a game against the Boston team in seven tries. So last night with Yankee ace Gerrit Cole on the mound, the Yankee fans were hoping for a big win. Although the win wasn’t big, a win is a win. In a rain-shortened game, the Yankees outscored the Sox 3-1.

Gerrit Cole doesn’t disappoint

For the second game in a row, New York Yankee ace Gerrit Cole threw a complete game, albeit a shortened game. In a full six innings of play, Cole struck out eleven Red Sox. Cole was pretty much on fire allowing only one run-walking just two. Cole had complete control of his pitches as he did in his last game against the Houston Astros. He pitched a complete 9 inning game in that game using a career-high 129 pitches in a complete-game shutout of his old team. Cole is now 10-4 with an ERA of 2.63 in 19 games.

Back to back homers power Yankees to a win

The Yankees that so often this season have lacked hitting the long ball did it last night in the sixth and final inning of a rain-shortened game in the Bronx. In the sixth inning, Gary Sanchez and Gleyber Torres hit back-to-back homers to win the game for the Yankees. Torres had gone 29 games without hitting a home run.

Although it was a wet and wild game, there was not a lot of action; not much happened until Christain Arroyo brought in a run for the Red Sox in the second inning. The Yankees answered in the fifth, Greg Allen doubled. Then, LeMahieu singled, driving in Allen for the tie of the game. Stanton flew out to first to end the inning, but the Yankees tied the game.

The real action took place in the pouring rain in the sixth inning. Rougie Odor struck out, Sanchez homered to center as the Yankee took the lead in the game. Torres went back to back with a homer to right-center. As the inning continued, the grounds crew again came out to add a drying agent to the mound and home plate. Brett Gardner walked. Chris Gittens singled, putting two on for the Yankees. Tyler Wade singled with Gittens going to second on a bad throw. But on review, he was called out. With two outs and two on, Allen struck out to end one of the longest innings I have seen, but the Yankees took the two-run lead. At the end of the sixth, with the field becoming dangerous, the umpires finally called for the tarp. Unfortunately, the tarp never came off as the Yankees won the game 3-1.

One fan got far too excited

Even though fans expect some wild stuff when the Yankees meet up with the Red Sox, last night’s game was wild even for those standards. First, the game was delayed about 50 minutes because of storms nearby. Then, it never rained, and the game was finally started. After the sixth inning, with rains pouring out of the heavens, the game was again delayed another 50 minutes until it was finally called. From the third inning on, it rained hard at times at the Stadium in the Bronx.

Also, in the sixth inning, the Red Sox Alex Verdugo threw a ball to a Red Sox fan, but a Yankee fan caught it in right-center. Verdugo turned and crouched to get ready for the next play when he was plunked in the back with a fan-thrown ball. To say the least, Verdugo was outraged. What followed was an obscenity ladened back, and forth the caused a long game delay. Umpires and both managers took to the field while the Red Sox manager Alex Cora called his team off the field. Both managers condemned the action of the fan and said that no player should have to worry about their own safety.

New York Yankees: Gary Sanchez and Gleyber Torres go back to back to win over the Red Sox

July 18, 2021 by William Parlee

Tonight the New York Yankees again took on the Boston Red Sox after being shut out last night. The Yankees were now 0-7 against their East-leading rivals. With a patched-together lineup and Gerrit Cole on the mound, the Yankees were finally hoping for a win against their long-term rival and a turnaround to their underperforming season. The game ended up being a wet circus of a game, with the Yankees finally taking a game from the Red Sox. The final score was the New York Yankees 3 and the Boston Red Sox 1.

Enrique Hernandez led off against Cole with a double to left. Alex Verdugo hit to left, but Locastro caught it at the wall became up limping. It appeared he was okay. JD Martinez struck out. Rafael Devers struck out to end the half. At the bottom, DJ LeMahieu led off by striking out. In the first several innings, not much happened until Christain Arroyo brought in a run for the Red Sox in the second inning. Gerrit Cole was on fire all night.

At the bottom of the fifth, Greg Allen doubled. LeMahieu singled, driving in Allen for the tie of the game. Stanton flew out to first to end the inning, but the Yankees tied the game. New York Yankees 1 Boston Red Sox 1.

Verdugo led off the sixth for Cole’s ninth strikeout of the game. Martinez struck out. Devers walked. Renfro had a slow roller to third for a single. Duran still looking for his major league first hit walked. Vazquez, with the bases loaded, stuck out to get Cole out of a jam. Rougie Odor led off the bottom of the inning against Sawamuro, but an altercation in center delayed the game by Verdugo and a fan. Meanwhile, the grounds crew tried to dry the infield with heavy rain falling.

Odor, after a long wait, struck out. Sanchez homered to center as the Yankee took the lead in the game. Torres went back to back with a homer to right-center. As the inning continued, the grounds crew again came out to add a drying agent to the mound and home plate. Brett Gardner walked. Chris Gittens singled, putting two on for the Yankees. Tyler Wade singled with Gittens going to second on a bad throw. But on review, he was called out. With two outs and two on, Allen struck out to end one of the longest innings I have seen, but the Yankees took the two-run lead. New York Yankees 3 the Boston Red Sox 1.

At the top of the seventh, the tarp finally covered the field, with the field becoming dangerously wet. At 11:50 pm, the game was finally called, with the Yankees winning over the Red Sox 3-1. The winning pitcher was Gerrit Cole, and the loser was Hirokazu Sawamura.

Notes: Time Locastro left the game in the second inning with a torn ACL. Gerrit Cole got 11 strikeouts in the game. It was his 6th game with ten or more strikeouts giving up one run or less to make New York Yankee history.

New York Yankees: Weekend preview and all you need to know about your Yankees

July 17, 2021 by William Parlee

With a pivotal weekend matchup with the Boston Red Sox, here are some New York Yankees previews and notes to keep Yankee fans informed.

Yankees announce weekend pitchers

Yankee ace Gerrit Cole will face Nathan Eovaldi in Saturday evening’s game broadcast on the Fox Network. Cole is 9-4 with an ERA of 2.68 and an amazing 147 strikeouts. He is coming off a complete-game win against the Astros. Eovaldi is 9-5 with an ERA of 3.66. He has won both of his starts against the Yankees this season.

Sunday evening’s game broadcast on ESPN will feature Jamison Taillon against the Red Sox Michael Perez. Taillon is 4-4 with a 4.90 ERA and is the Yankees’ most undependable starter. Perez 7-5 with a .4.04 ERA. Perez is coming off an 11-2 loss against the Phillies, giving up 3 runs in 3.2 innings of work.

Yankees lose six players to the Covid virus

The New York Yankees and the entire sports world got a harsh reminder that the coronavirus is not behind up. This week, the Yankees had to put six players on the covid list showing that they are not fully protected even though they may have been vaccinated. Aaron Judge, Gio Urshela, Nestor Cortes Jr., Jonathan Loaisiga, Wandy Peralta, and catcher Kyle Higashioka all went on the 10 day Covid list. The loss of these players makes a challenging turnaround for the Yankees even more challenging.

Montgomery gets no run support

Jordan Montgomery is a poor boy when it comes to getting run support in this starts. Montgomery lost another game last night, getting zero run support. Montgomery is now tied with 6 other Yankees throughout history for going the most games without any run support.

Domingo German scoreless in relief

After a few rocky starts, Domingo German was scheduled to start Thursday night’s game that ended up being postponed when several Yankees test positive for the coronavirus. Manager Boone decided on Jordan Montgomery to start last night’s game, but German got a chance to pitch. He came in in the 7th inning in relief of Montgomery. He pitched a scoreless inning giving up on hit and no walk, an encouraging sign for manager Boone.

Minor Leaguers make Major League debuts

The New York Yankees’ lack of players caused by the coronavirus allowed Yankee minor leaguers to make their Major League debuts. Outfield Trey Amburgey was called up to replace Aaron Judge in right field, where he played flawlessly but struck out in his first two at-bats. Hoy Jun Park also made his debut pinch-hitting. The Yankees also called up Chris Gittens to replace Luke Voit at first.

Michael King hopeful for return

Starter reliever Micheal King injured his middle finger while working with weights on July 5th and has been away from the team. He said he is feeling better now, throwing and catching. He is hoping to be reactive as early as this weekend, for the Yankees, that will be not too soon as they have lost three relievers to the coronavirus.

Luke Voit is back on the IL

Luke Voit, who has proven he can play through almost anything, must be crushed as he has gone o the IL for the third time this season, this time with a badly bruised knee impeding his running. Voit last season was the baseball’s home run leader, but this year hasn’t played long enough stretches to get his stroke and power back.

The next 11 days will be crucial

The New York Yankees are 9 games back in the AL East behind the Red Sox, Tampa Bay, and the Toronto Blue Jays. They are 5 games out of a second wild card slot. The Yankees must play well in the next 11 days if they have any chance of turning their season around. Unfortunately, they play mostly against teams that they have not been victorious over. They have six games against the Red Sox, three games against the Tampa Bay Rays, with two against the Phillies sandwiched in. So far, they have lost all seven games they have played against the Sox. With so many regular players on the Covid list, a challenging turnaround becomes even more difficult.

Aroldis Chapman still hasn’t got it figured out

The New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman and his new splitter went 18 games at the beginning of the season without allowing a run. Since then, his 0.00 ERA has risen to 4.55. Regardless of his splitter, his missile fastball is his put-away pitch, and he has lost control over it. In his last four games, he has given up 9 runs, allowing walks and home runs. In his last two games, his ERA is 13.50. He has pitched so badly that manager Aaron Boone has been afraid to use him, sitting him for ten games.

Last night in a no-pressure situation, Boone decided to send him out in the ninth with the Yankees behind by four runs. Chapman got out of the inning without giving up a run but obviously struggled. He walked one while taking 23 pitches to get out of the inning. Unfortunately, he did not gain any more trust from Aaron Boone. Boone also has fewer options with Nestor Cortes Jr., Wandy Peralta, and his best reliever Jonathan Loaisiga on the Covid list.

Stay with EmpireSportsMedia.com for all the latest Yankees news and updates. ESM’s Columnist William Parlee is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research. Follow him on Twitter @parleewilliam.