CLEVELAND — The New Yankees are out to a great start in the 2023 season with four continuous series wins. However, their latest win in Cleveland is something special. It has drama, perseverance, powerful hits, and above all bizarre baseball.
The Yankees power play
The Yankees won the game 4-3 after making a comeback. Oswaldo Cabrera drove in the winning run in the ninth inning, giving the Yankees their fourth series win in as many tries this season.
A controversial reply call by umpires handed the Guardians a 2-0 lead. But the Yankees got back to the game with an extra run in the fifth inning in their three-run comeback. Then, the stage was set for Franchy Cordero’s display of his raw power. He knotted it all up in the seventh inning with his fourth home run in his five games. It was a 439-foot solo shot.
Cabrera then delivered in the ninth, slamming a deep single off Emmanuel Clase to score the run that gave the Yankees a decisive win.
Yankees show without Aaron Boone
Following two rather typical games between the Yankees and the Guardians, the series finale went entirely off the rails on Wednesday at Progressive Field. It got off to an unusual start when manager Aaron Boone was dismissed in the bottom of the first inning after contesting a questionable video review that resulted in the Guardians scoring two runs.
Josh Naylor of the Indians grounded a ball to the center fielder, but Aaron Hicks of the Yankees made a diving catch. The huge left-field screen at Progressive Field played a replay of Hicks dropping a catch as the teams left the field. It was unclear if Terry Francona, manager of the Guardians, requested a replay within the allowed 15 seconds.
Umpire Larry Vanover and the other umpires conferred for a while before he approached Francona, who seemed pleased with the outcome. Aaron Boone was infuriated because he felt the Guardians had waited too long to protest the play. Arguments ensued, leading to the first ejection of the season for the Yankees manager and the 27th of his career.
The Guardians’ manager did not appear to initiate a replay challenge, despite the requirement that managers do so within 15 seconds of the call per replay review regulations. Instead, after a replay was played, the umpires met in the field’s middle to discuss the play.
Naylor’s ball was ruled to have fallen in for a base hit and an RBI after an almost 10-minute delay by the umpires. After the resumption of play, Guardians first baseman Josh Bell hit an RBI single, scoring two runs and putting Cleveland ahead, 2-0.
“They got the play right, I will say that,” Boone said. “[But] I feel like the emotion of the building and the [play] being on the scoreboard, [the umpires decided], ‘Hey, no, let’s get together now.’ I thought that was wrong.”
“I feel like I should have caught that one,” Hicks said. “We had to go back out there because I didn’t complete the play.”
Before Schmidt was able to get out of the inning, the Guardians added another run to their lead, making it 2-0.
Infuriated Yankees took revenge
“I think everybody was pretty pissed off at the first inning,” said Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt. “There was some aggression, for sure, from our side. … I think everybody had a little bit of a chip on their shoulder for the rest of the game.”
Wednesday was the longest game of the season for Clarke Schmidt. He pitched four innings and gave up three runs. He gave up two runs in the first inning because of bad hits, and Amed Rosario hit a home run off of a cutter he threw in the third inning.
“I think it was a really good step in the right direction,” said Schmidt, who struck out three and walked one.”
Clay Holmes threw a pitch that hit a batter and walked two more to load the bases with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. But he ended it by striking out Amed Rosario.
“It’s just a really good, gutsy win right there,” Boone said.
Anthony Volpe hit a double and the ball bounced off the left-field wall. But rookie Peyton Battenfield got the next 13 Yankees out before Cabrera hit a single in the fifth inning with one out.
That started a rally. Kyle Higashioka drove in the first run for the Yankees with a long single, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa run down from third when the relay throw hit Vanover.
“That was a great come-from-behind win,” Boone said. “Just good to get out of here with a couple of wins to finish off a good, strong trip against a really good Guardians team.”
“That was a great come-from-behind win,” Boone said. “Just good to get out of here with a couple of wins to finish off a good, strong trip against a really good Guardians team.”
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