An early explosion of offense from the Yankees spoiled Noah Syndergaard’s return to the Big Apple and propelled the Bronx Bombers to a 9–1 win over the explosive Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night.
Syndergaard, the righty starter who left the Mets in free agency last offseason to move across the coast, started the game in the Bronx, but lasted only 2.1 innings after giving up 5 runs on 7 hits and a walk.
The big hitting came early for the Pinstripes in the series opener, as slugger Aaron Judge walked in the second at bat of the 1st inning, before Anthony Rizzo hit a long RBI double to bring the baserunner across the plate.
Red-hot Gleyber Torres quickly followed that up with another RBI double off Syndergaard (which hit just off the top of the left field fence) to score Rizzo, before getting thrown out trying to extend his hit to 3rd base.
A Miguel Andújar bloop single to shallow center, followed by a home run from Matt Carpenter brought the score to 4–0. That marked Carpenter’s second hit (and second home run) in a Yankee uniform, after they brought him on as a free agent signing just 5 games prior.
The Yankees struck again in the 2nd inning, when third baseman DJ LeMahieu hit an RBI double to bring Joey Gallo across the plate, after he singled earlier in the inning.
Gallo, who has seriously struggled in recent games, recording just 9 hits in 19 previous games in the month of May, had a solid bounce-back game Tuesday, going 2–3 with a single and a double, along with a walk in his newfound 9th spot in the lineup.
Syndergaard would finish the 2nd inning, but be quickly pulled in the 3rd after giving up a single and a near-home run to Miguel Andújar, which the Angels outfielder caught near the warning track.
The 2.1 inning, 4.02 ERA performance was surely not what “Thor” was looking for in his first game back in the Five Boroughs, but the stellar Yankee offense has had a tendency to frustrate even the best pitchers through their first 49 games.
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The Yankees would tack on 2 more runs in the 6th inning off a duo of hits, along with a fielder’s choice that saw Jose Trevino dodge the tag at the plate to score, and a sacrifice fly-out from Aaron Judge for the team’s 7th run.
You gotta be quicker than that. pic.twitter.com/FIssN5GGyk
— MLB (@MLB) June 1, 2022
A 2-run homer to left field from Trevino off lefty reliever Kenny Rosenberg (scoring Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who singled earlier) added the icing to the cake in the bottom of the 8th inning, and brought the team to 9 total runs on the victorious night.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, Jordan Montgomery pitched a full 7 innings, giving up just 1 run on a homer to 2nd baseman Luis Rengifo in the 7th. He finished the contest allowing 4 hits and 1 walk, while striking out 4 Los Angeles batters.
Miguel Castro took over in the 8th and quickly gave up 2 hits, but managed to get out of the inning unscathed to keep the score at 7–1.
Angels phenom Shohei Ohtani, who has become famous for his ability to both hit well and pitch, had a relatively quiet night while serving as the team’s designated hitter, going just 1–4 while striking out once — though that was almost not the case.
The Japanese-born multi-talented player nearly hit a home run in the 1st inning, but a leaping catch from Aaron Judge over the center field wall robbed Ohtani of that.
Ohtani sends one deep, but @TheJudge44 has other plans. pic.twitter.com/Z2KcB6cy5B
— MLB (@MLB) May 31, 2022
The 9–1 victory, which snaps a 2-game losing streak, brings the Yankees to an MLB-best 34-15 record, and gives them a 5.5 game cushion in the AL East.
New York and Los Angeles will stay in the Bronx for the 2nd game of their 3-game series on Wednesday, with Nestor Cortes slated to get the start on the mound against the Angels’ Reid Detmers.
