NEW YORK — Amid dark clouds Yankees fans have a silver lining on Wednesday. The team rallied to snatch a 7-2 victory from the Rays amid discussions over the trade gloom, falling offensive power, and the alcohol abuse of Domingo German. Just as the hopes of a revival were fading, veteran Giancarlo Stanton and rookie Anthony Volpe combined to overturn Tampa Bay’s dominance to bring cheers to New York.
The Yankees entered Wednesday’s game while facing a gloomy situation. They found themselves at the bottom of the AL East division, significantly trailing the division leaders and staring at waning wild-card chances. But soon glimmers of hope emerged.
Yankees day began on a negative note
The Yankees were hit with even more upheaval on Wednesday as Domingo German announced his entry into an alcohol treatment center, effectively ending his season just six weeks after pitching a perfect game. The news came as quite a shock amid their losing streak. Adding to their troubles, as soon as the Yankees stepped onto the field, Wander Franco of the Rays hit a two-run homer in the very first inning off their ace Gerrit Cole, the most reliable figure in the Yankees rotation.
Yankees fans, who were still upset from the previous day’s turn of events, expressed their frustration with “Fire Cashman” chants when the team got off to a poor start. They had hoped GM Brian Cashman would make significant moves, but he only added a middle reliever and a Triple-A arm.
The Yankees appeared headed for a series sweep by the Rays with Shane McClanahan on the mound, but surprisingly, Aaron Boone’s team came alive and showed signs of life.
The Yankees’ rally to snatch the victory
In the third inning, the Yankees rallied for five runs, powered by two home runs, and then relied on Cole’s pitching to secure a 7-2 victory, putting an end to their three-game losing streak.
Anthony Volpe‘s two-run blast leveled the game, and later in the third inning, Giancarlo Stanton smashed a three-run homer, giving the Yankees the lead. With Cole’s impressive seven-inning performance and the bullpen effectively closing out the game, the five-run outburst proved to be more than sufficient for the Yankees to secure the victory.
With a 5-2 lead, the Yankees extended their advantage in the seventh inning by adding two more runs. The first run was driven in by Stanton, who had an impressive four-RBI performance for the night. The Yankees turned the game into a convincing blowout with their late surge.
One noteworthy aspect of the game was Cole’s superior performance compared to McClanahan, both of whom are contenders for the AL Cy Young award.
“Gosh, Shane is so good, so anytime you can scrap back in a game like that after I put them in a [2-0] hole, it’s a big lift for us,” Cole admitted.
McClanahan had a tough outing, giving up five runs in four innings, resulting in his 11th loss of the season. His record stands at 11-2 with a 3.29 ERA, having pitched 115 innings in 21 starts.
Cole was impressive, allowing just two runs and four hits while recording eight strikeouts and two walks in seven innings of work. With this performance, he improved his record to 10-2 and lowered his ERA to 2.64. Having pitched an AL-leading 143 1/3 innings in 23 starts, he continues to be a dominant force on the mound.
“It’s just sticking to the same approach,” Volpe said. “We’ve got a good team coming into town, I think everyone’s pumped up. We’re just going to stick to it, do our homework and prepare the way we prepare. But I think everyone would be lying to you if they said that finally getting some good results doesn’t help.”
On two occasions, the Yankees’ left fielder, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, faced challenges with his arm as runners attempted to stretch singles into doubles. Impressively, he successfully threw out both runners at second base making sure the Yankees defense pitched in to contribute.
Yankees fans are hopeful to see their team sustaining the momentum when they meet the Astros on Thursday.
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