Yankees Score all 3 of Their Runs in The 1st Inning
The Yankees found another way to win when their bats were held in check.
Gerrit Cole pitched 7 scoreless innings, and the defense made several key plays as New York defeated the struggling Baltimore Orioles 3-2 on Wednesday.
Cole (4-0) struck out five batters while allowing 2 runs and 6 hits. Right fielder Marwin Gonzalez made 2 clutch catches behind him, and Josh Donaldson flagged down many sharp grounders. Then, in the 8th inning, 1st baseman Anthony Rizzo snagged a soaring liner to begin an unassisted double play.
New York only had 6 hits, but a three-run 1st inning highlighted by a sprint from 2nd to home on a wild pitch was enough to secure the victory.
And, to a large extent, this explains why the Yankees are off to an incredible 28-9 start.
There are no home runs required. The Yankees only managed two doubles, but they still won their 21st game in 24 games.
Gleyber Torres followed 2-out singles by Rizzo & Donaldson with an RBI double in the 1st inning to put New York ahead. Then, Donaldson scored on a wild pitch by Jordan Lyles, & Torres scored on catcher Anthony Bemboom’s errant throw to the plate.
That was enough for the Yankees to win their 9th game in a row. New York’s 28-9 start is tied for the 2nd best in the majors since 1948, trailing only the Detroit Tigers 32-5 start in 1984.
On Thursday, the Yankees will aim to complete a 4-game sweep of last-place Baltimore. The Orioles, who’ve already lost 6 straight games, are the only team to have won a series against the Yankees this season, taking two of three in mid-April.
Following Cole’s strong performance, Clay Holmes worked the final 2 innings for his 3rd save of the season, all against the Orioles.
Lyles (2-4) allowed three runs & five hits over 7 innings in his 190th career start & 297th appearance. He struck out eight batters, along with Joey Gallo 3 times – Gallo’s 8th game with 3 or 4 strikeouts this season.
Baltimore cut the deficit to 3-2 in the sixth inning when Austin Hays hit an RBI double & scored on an infield grounder.
Boone filled out the starting lineup in the absence of stars Giancarlo Stanton & DJ LeMahieu, who were both healthy and yet rested for a team playing 23 games in 22 days.
UP NEXT
The series finale will be started by LHP Jordan Montgomery (0-1, 3.06 ERA). In each of his last 6 starts, he has allowed 2 runs or fewer.
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