New York Yankees 5, Detroit Tigers 1
NEW YORK — Giancarlo Stanton crushed his 400th career home run, Gerrit Cole further solidified his Cy Young Award aspirations, and the New York Yankees triumphed over the Detroit Tigers with a 5-1 victory on Tuesday night.
DJ LeMahieu smacked his second leadoff home run in the span of four games, while Gleyber Torres delivered a crucial two-run double for the New York Yankees, currently residing in the bottom of the standings with a record of 69-69. They have now secured four consecutive victories and triumphed in seven of their last eight games, finally reaching the .500 mark for the first time since August 15th.
Stanton’s two-run home run against reliever José Cisnero broke the 1-1 deadlock in the sixth inning. The power hitter achieved the milestone of 400 home runs in just 1,520 career games, making him the fourth-fastest player in major league history to reach this mark. He follows in the footsteps of Mark McGwire (1,412 games), Babe Ruth (1,475 games), and Alex Rodriguez (1,489 games). Albert Pujols ranks fifth, achieving the feat in 1,523 games.
Stanton’s 451-foot rocket, directed towards left-center field, was skillfully caught by a fan in the front row, sporting a glove, perched atop the elevated bleachers just beyond Detroit’s bullpen. The massive videoboard prominently showcased the significant No. 400 milestone, prompting Stanton, who has occasionally faced jeers at Yankee Stadium since his arrival in 2018, to emerge from the dugout for a gracious curtain call. He tipped his helmet in acknowledgment to the crowd of 31,553 spectators.
Having previously earned the title of 2017 NL MVP during his tenure with the Miami Marlins, Stanton now joins the exclusive ranks of the 58th big league player to achieve the impressive milestone of 400 home runs. Notably, he becomes the 10th player to accomplish this feat while wearing the iconic Yankees uniform.
This remarkable achievement at the plate paved the way for Gerrit Cole (13-4) to secure the victory. Cole showcased his pitching prowess by striking out seven batters across six innings while allowing just one run to cross the plate. This outstanding performance also propelled him to take the lead in the American League for the lowest ERA, currently standing at an impressive 2.90. Despite facing eight hits, Cole managed to issue no walks, delivering a total of 104 pitches on a sweltering evening with temperatures reaching 87 degrees.
The right-handed pitcher secured his second victory against the Detroit Tigers within a week, bolstering his career record to an impressive 9-1 in 13 starts against the team. The Tigers, who had recently ended a five-game losing streak with four consecutive wins, were unable to overcome his dominance on the mound.
In the opening game of his farewell series at Yankee Stadium, Miguel Cabrera managed to produce an RBI single against Cole. Cabrera, who is now 40 years old and was honored with farewell gifts by the Yankees in a pre-game ceremony on the field, has announced his intention to retire at the conclusion of this season.
Javier Báez snapped his 0-for-14 hitless streak with an impressive three-hit performance for the Tigers. However, in a crucial moment in the sixth inning with a runner on base, he succumbed to a swinging strikeout as Cole unleashed a searing 98 mph fastball for his final pitch.
The trio of Tommy Kahnle, Jonathan Loáisiga, and Clay Holmes teamed up to provide three innings of nearly flawless relief, allowing only one hit during their combined effort.
Joey Wentz (2-11) was handed the loss when he began the sixth inning by issuing a leadoff walk to Aaron Judge. Stanton’s impactful connection with the ball came with two outs in that inning, and Torres contributed his pivotal two-run double in the eighth.
Highly anticipated rookie Jasson Domínguez recorded a 1-for-4 performance, including an eighth-inning double, during his debut at Yankee Stadium for New York. The 20-year-old Domínguez made quite an entrance to his professional career last weekend in Houston, where he showcased his talent by hitting two home runs in three games. Notably, his first big league at-bat resulted in a remarkable two-run homer off the three-time Cy Young Award winner, Justin Verlander.
UP NEXT
On Wednesday night, Tigers’ right-handed pitcher Matt Manning (5-4, 3.62 ERA) will take the mound for the middle game of the series. He will face off against Clarke Schmidt (8-8, 4.56 ERA), who in his previous start last Thursday against Detroit, allowed three earned runs over 4 2/3 innings but ended up with a no-decision.
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
