DENVER – The Yankees’ fightback to level the series against the Rockies was led by big hits from Giancarlo Stanton and Gleyber Torres. Though the “G&G Boys” stand nowhere close to the famous “M&M Boys” of the past, their contribution on Saturday proved to be crucial to make sure the Yankees’ offense breathes life again.
In a display uniquely his own, Giancarlo Stanton unveiled his exceptional hitting prowess, launching an awe-inspiring three-run homer that gracefully soared in the opposite field, tracing the right-field line. This magnificent display of power and precision concluded a momentous five-run inning against Connor Seabold, propelling the Yankees to a dominant and commanding 6-1 lead.
Gleyber Torres left his mark on the game, delivering a notable impact with two hits for the Yankees. The team’s performance stood out, as they amassed a total of six runs, either matching or surpassing this run total for the second time in just seven games. To set the tone for the Yankees’ offense, Torres showcased his skill right from the beginning, tripling on Connor Seabold’s very first pitch of the game, initiating an impressive scoring spree early on.
Yankees offense breathes fire
It might sound surprising to compare Gleyber Torres and Giancarlo Stanton to the legendary Yankees players Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, especially when the 2023 Yankees are struggling to score runs. However, Gleyber and Giancarlo have shown the ability to carry the Yankees’ offense.
On Saturday night, some exciting things happened for the Yankees! Gleyber Torres got two more hits, and Giancarlo Stanton hit a fantastic three-run homer, making it his fourth home run in four games. Not only that, but Clarke Schmidt also had an amazing performance, possibly the best in his Major League career, during the Yankees’ 6-3 victory over the Rockies at Coors Field. It was a thrilling game!
In Friday’s series opener, Torres had a great performance, getting three hits out of four at-bats. Then, in Saturday’s game, he started things off with a triple, hitting the first pitch from Colorado’s pitcher, Connor Seabold, off the right-center field wall. After that, Stanton, who was responsible for all of New York’s runs in Friday’s loss with his two-run homer, brought Torres home by hitting an RBI groundout.
In the second inning, the Yankees continued to score more runs. DJ LeMahieu hit a double and then scored a run when Kyle Higashioka hit a sacrifice fly. After that, Torres got a single and drove in another run. And then, Stanton hit a massive three-run homer to the right side, making the score 6-1 in favor of the Yankees. It was an important moment for Stanton because, with that hit, he reached the milestone of 1,000 career RBIs.
Earlier this season, Stanton was out of action for around six weeks due to a hamstring strain. When he came back to the team, he faced some difficulties at the plate. On July 3, his performance showed a slash line of.195/.259/.398 in 139 plate appearances, which means he was not hitting well.
However, in the last eight games, he has improved a lot, with a batting average of.296. He managed to hit two doubles and four home runs during this period.
The way the players performed at-bat on Saturday night helped to ease some of the worries about the Yankees’ struggles to score runs lately. Ever since their superstar hitter Aaron Judge got injured and couldn’t play due to a torn ligament in his right big toe in June, the team has been having a hard time producing runs.
But now, with Gleyber Torres and Giancarlo Stanton stepping up and Clarke Schmidt showing promise with his pitching, things are looking better for the Yankees. Although they might not be exactly where they want to be, they’ve come a long way from their disappointing 7-2 loss on Friday night, when new hitting coach Sean Casey made his debut.
Manager Aaron Boone mentioned that they show up every day to shake hands at the end of the night. He also stated that they had a lot of good and tough at-bats, even when they were down in the count, which helped them put together a big five-run second inning. Boone expressed his satisfaction in seeing some of the guys get positive results from their efforts.
LeMahieu, who had been struggling for the last 20 games without getting multiple hits (during which he had a.167 batting average with only five extra-base hits), managed to get two multihit games in a row. Since he came back to Coors Field, where he used to play for the Rockies from 2012 to 2018, he’s been doing great, getting five hits out of eight at-bats, including two doubles.
Boone expresses cautious optimism
Even though the Yankees manager is encouraged by Stanton’s recent progress, Aaron Boone is still a bit cautious about saying that Stanton is completely back in top form.
Boone stated that Stanton is indeed swinging better. However, he expressed his reluctance to assert that Stanton has fully reached his best level, as that requires a different standard of performance. He acknowledged that Stanton is making positive strides and heading in the right direction with his improvement.
The Yankees had a positive night with their performances, all heading in the right direction. During the game, Schmidt, the pitcher, had a solid performance. He played for over six innings, giving up two runs on three hits with one walk and eight strikeouts. He threw a total of 92 pitches, and 57 of them were strikes. This game marked the first time in his Major League career that he managed to pitch into the seventh inning.
However, at the beginning of the game, Schmidt faced some challenges. He hit the first batter he encountered and then walked another player in the first inning, allowing a run to score due to a balk. But he made adjustments swiftly and improved his performance as the game went on.
Schmidt mentioned that the shape of his pitches was a major focus for him. He had a bullpen session recently and noticed that the shapes of his pitches were not good. He didn’t expect to throw curveballs during the game because, even in the bullpen on that day, they weren’t performing well.
However, during the game, he decided to try something different. He aimed to throw the curveballs low, intending for them to end up in the bottom half of the strike zone. He believed that placing his sights a bit lower than usual helped him improve the performance of his pitches.
Schmidt pitched really well, and Stanton’s performance was improving, which were good things for the Yankees. However, Josh Donaldson’s season average dropped to.142 after he had an 0-for-4 night. He also got injured in his last at-bat, so he’s going for an MRI to check his right calf. Apart from Stanton, Torres, and LeMahieu, the Yankees only managed to get two hits in the game.
The Yankees’ lineup hasn’t been performing at its best lately, but they are still happy with any positive results they get. They are hoping that the success starts to spread across the entire batting order. Aaron Judge is getting closer to coming back from his injury, and they hope that his return will bring even more improvements just in time for important games.
Boone said that they were capable and mentioned that they were grinding. He also stated that many of the players would get hot together, and that’s when the fun would happen.
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
