The Yankees started off on the wrong foot on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium. They soon found themselves at a 2-0 deficit, as ace Gerrit Cole struggled against the Guardians. A two-run deficit in the third inning seemed insurmountable for a squad whose offense had been struggling of late.
Though there was no offensive explosion followed thereafter, the Yankees snapped their season-long four-game losing streak with a 4-2 victory. It all began with a spark that came from the top of the order led by a significant swing from an unexpected hero.
A home run by Willie Calhoun broke the 2-2 tie in the sixth inning. Anthony Volpe then lifted the ball to right field for his third homer and it ignited the Yankees’ return to the winning ways.
Calhoun’s first home run for the Yankees
In the seventh inning, DH Calhoun blasted off Cleveland reliever James Karinchak to right field. The shot sped at 106.2 mph to clear the small porch. His first home run for the Yankees went 370 feet and would have gone far into the outfield in at least 13 MLB ballparks.
“That was a special homer, especially at Yankee Stadium,” said Calhoun, who signed with the Yankees just before the spring training. “To be able to hit a home run here is pretty cool and to overcome all the things that I’ve overcome the last few years — to kind of put it behind me in the rearview mirror and be able to do it at this stage — is a pretty surreal feeling.”
The seventh inning saw a thrilling 2-2 tie. When the Yankees DH came to bat, his record had a mere nine hits and a skimpy sum of 10 total bases throughout the season. Additionally, his tally of RBI stood at a modest three, and he was yet to achieve his first home run while wearing the iconic pinstripes. But Calhoun changed all that with his home run, which transformed the game, making him the night’s hero for the Yankees.
Karinchak’s curveball traveled down and in toward Calhoun, which is not where a pitcher wants to be when facing a left-handed batter, yet the Yankees outfielder made contact with it. His home run was a screaming line shot onto the short porch in right, with an exit speed of 106.2 mph and a launch angle of 19 degrees.
Since April 11, 2022, when he was still with the Texas Rangers, Calhoun has not hit a home run. The run was crucial because it gave the Yankees a lead they wouldn’t give up, 3-2. New York scored an insurance run in the eighth inning, and they were able to hang on for a 4-2 victory and break a four-game losing skid.
Calhoun has struggled at the plate this season, posting a .136 average with an OPS of .390 in 24 at-bats with the Yankees squad. Not much help for a squad that has lost two games in a row because they couldn’t score a single run until the very end.
Boone consistently supported the Yankees 28-year outfielder and told the press on Tuesday:
“There’s no doubt in my mind that Willie Calhoun can bang and is going to hit.”
Anthony Volpe set another record
Young Yankees shortop Anthony Volpe hit a home run and swiped two bases while going 2 for 4. He joined a very elite club in Yankees history with his two stolen bases. First, he blasted a home run and stole two bases in the same game, setting a new record for the youngest player in MLB history.
After the victory, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic also tweeted:
“Anthony Volpe is just the fifth Yankee to have 10 stolen bases in his first 31 career games, joining Yankees legends Bert Daniels (1910), Cozy Dolan (1911), Fritz Maisel (1913), and, of course, Brett Gardner (2008).”
The Yankees rookie could see his teammates were giving it their all at the bat, so he was optimistic about their chances. Sure enough, they did. In a 4-2 victory against the Guardians at Yankee Stadium, Volpe broke up a no-hitter with a shot to the short porch in right field.
“We’ve definitely been struggling, results-wise,” Volpe said. “But I thought we had really good at-bats and were putting it together by hitting the ball hard. As an offense, as long as we’re doing those types of things, we’re able to show that we can fight and come back.”
Starting pitcher Tanner Bibee was having a solid game in his second Major League start when Volpe smashed his third home run of the season to spark a comeback. After that, Gleyber Torres hit a crisp double, and Anthony Rizzo greeted hard-throwing relief James Karinchak with a single to the opposite field, driving in an RBI and tying the game.
“We had some good, winning at-bats there when we needed them,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
Volpe, who is just 22 years old, got on base with a single, advanced to second and third on steals, and eventually scored on DJ LeMahieu‘s hit.
In the end, Volpe had two hits, two runs scored, and two steals. He has a perfect record of 10 for 10 in base-stealing attempts. Only he and Brett Gardner (2008) have had at least 10 steals in the first 31 games for the Yankees in the last 100 years.
“There’s still a lot of work to be done,” Volpe said. “It’s a super important part of my game and a super important part of the team. We have great coaches that stress the importance. The little details we’re working on show up in the games.”
According to Yankees manager Boone: “He’s one of the best I’ve ever seen; that’s how I feel about him on the bases. And I think he’s probably a better defender than I would have even thought. He’s so aware out there and uses his athleticism. He doesn’t have a great arm, but he makes it play. He uses his feet really well. He plays really fast. He’s very much in control.”
Cole thanked Volpe
Yankees ace Gerrit Cole said that Tuesday’s game was his worst and he struggled because of Cleveland’s batting order.
A home run by Volpe and a solid defensive play in the eighth inning prevented relief pitcher Wandy Peralta from committing an error and extending Cole’s shaky bailout hopes. Cole is the only starting pitcher in the Major Leagues to have his club win every game he has started. This occurred due to the rescue efforts of Ron Marinaccio, Peralta, and Michael King.
Volpe remained on the side of the bench for the rest of the sixth and watched the other guys bat. His partner Cole had sneaked up on him and whispered, “Thank you.”
“He’s now tied me for career homers; that lasted about a month,” Cole said. “But he’s a good player. It was a good jolt for us.”
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