Left-handed batter (Brett Gardner) at the plate, providing a clear running lane.
Advertisement
Brett Gardner homered with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving the New York Yankees a dramatic 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday. It was the Yankees’ first hit with a man in scoring position all afternoon, and set up Gardner’s walk-off homer in the ninth. With Carlos on deck, everyone knows a fastball is coming.
“I don’t really worry about the hype”, Snell said. I felt jittery, anxious to get it going.
“I got called up to pitch against the Yankees in Yankee Stadium”.
Yankees’ catcher Brian McCann said in his postgame interview with the YES Network.
Gardner then hit a line drive right back at Xavier Cedeno that deflected off the reliever’s glove and rolled away for a tying infield single. “It’s not how you would draw it up”. “But at this point, we’ll take it any way we can get it”.
Hey, the way things have been going for this Yankees offense, whatever it takes.
Ellsbury singled with two outs in the fifth and Didi Gregorius followed with a single off Moore (1-1). With runners on the corners he bounced a 1-and-2 changeup to Alex Rodriguez that eluded catcher Hank Conger, allowing Beltran to score. That performance earned Snell Minor League Player of the Year honors from multiple outlets while also garnering him one-inning stints in the All-Star Futures Game in Cincinnati and the Southern League All-Star Game in Montgomery.
Blake Snell pitched well in a no-decision in his major league debut on Saturday, limiting the Yankees to one run on two hits over his five innings. In seven innings, he threw 97 pitches, 65 for strikes.
Tanaka, speaking through a translator, said of what worked in this one, “I really couldn’t find anything that was working perfectly for me, but I think the key was that I was able to hang in there through key moments”.
“I really couldn’t find anything that was working ideal for me”, said Tanaka, who threw 97 pitches. “I’m sure [catcher Curt] Casali is pretty frustrated by it, but the same situation [Friday] I think”.
He allowed a one-out double to Logan Morrison in the third.
Longoria leads the recent offensive surge by the Rays and has always had success in his career against NY.
But those were the only blemishes on Tanaka’s ledger. Snell repeats his delivery well, and does a good job of keeping the ball in the zone, which portends strong groundball rates.
Girardi instead brought in Dellin Betances, who again was dominant.
What can be debated is the logic behind stealing home with two strikes on the batter.
Advertisement
Terrific relief in both wins, most noteworthy Ivan Nova, Dellin Betances and Miller combining for 4.1 innings of ideal, seven-strikeout ball on Friday.
