It took a little bit of dramatics, but the New York Yankees pulled off a win in the first game of a Mother’s Day doubleheader on Sunday against the Texas Rangers.
Gleyber Torres went yard in the bottom of the ninth to lift New York to a 2-1 win. The shot to left field was Torres’ fourth home run of the season and the second walk-off home run of his career.
“I think we’ve seen him time and again,” Aaron Boone said of Torres’ winning dinger. “Whether its playoff situations, the biggest situations it seems he does ratchet up that concentration level a bit. Cold day out there, it’s good to see him stick one that just happened quick. You’re thinking all of the possibilities there and he ends it real quick. It’s nice.”
Bombers starter Gerrit Cole pitched six and a third innings, striking out 10 batters and allowing five hits while surrendering one run in the 114 pitch outing. The New York Yankees bullpen continued its strong stretch by not allowing a run with Jonathan Loáisiga and Clay Holmes, who picked up the win, coming into the game in relief.
Cole surrendered hits in each of the first two innings of the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader, allowing runners to get on first and third in the top of the first, but eventually worked his way out of it without giving up a run. After Marcus Semien hit a single to center and Adolis Garcia singled on a fly ball to left, Cole Struck out Nathaniel Lowe to end the inning.
Mitch Garver doubled to start the second, but again Cole worked his magic to escape without giving Texas the lead. He retired the side in order the next three straight innings. It was Kole Calhoun’s shot to right field in the top of the Seventh to tie the game at one that ended Cole’s afternoon.
“I thought that at times we could throw any pitch,” Cole said. “It was kind of blowing it up and away, the crosswind today. I thought we used the elements well. I thought we got a little cute in the second inning, but we made our adjustments and locked it back in and made a lot of good selections going forward.”
New York struggled to get on base for the first five innings, despite getting a couple of chances to make something happen early on.
Rangers’ starter Dane Dunning got himself into a jam in the bottom of the fourth when he walked both Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton with just one out, but quickly worked out of it.
The New York Yankees threatened again in the bottom of the fifth inning after a pair of errors helped get two runners on and extend the inning, Aaron Hicks struck out swinging and stranding the two on base.
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It wasn’t until the sixth inning that the Yankees finally got their first hit of the game, but they made it count. Judge got on base with an infield single and a line drive to left field by Anthony Rizzo moved Judge to third.
Giancarlo Stanton finally drove in the first run of the afternoon with a deep fly to left that allowed Judge to make it home and give the Bomber a 1-0 lead. However, an inning later Texas evened the score back up.
