At 11:19pm, East Coast time, it was starting to look like a loss.
- The Yanks were down 5-0 and getting no hit through 4 innings.
- CC Sabathia was not sharp — he had just allowed a 3-run homer to Kole Calhoun after having allowed 2 (two) homers to power swinging shortstop Andrelton Simmons.
- With all the injuries, the Yankees were sporting a lineup that looked like Scranton — their AAA team.
- Clint Frazier had just been added to the Injured List (IL), eliminating their hottest recent hitter.
- Gary Sanchez was back but he was striking out every time up (finished with a golden sombrero).
And many Yankee fans probably went to bed.
They may or may not have seen this Brett Gardner catch for the 2nd out of the 5th — saving what would prove to be an important run (as there was a runner on 2nd) — at the time it looked like it might be the Yankee consolation highlight of the night:
Fun Gardy catch if you choose to ignore the current situation! pic.twitter.com/41LCRgsIU0
— David Mendelsohn (@BigBabyDavid_) April 25, 2019
The Comeback
In the 6th, the Yankees began their comeback.
- DJ LeMahieu, who had just come off several hitless games — came up big in this game (3 hits). In the 6th, he doubled in Tyler Wade to make it 5-1.
- Luke Voit singled LeMahieu to 3rd — but the Yanks looked like they were going to squander a 1st & 3rd nobody out situation when Brett Gardner popped up, and Sanchez struck out. But then a passed ball by Jonathan Lucroy allowed LeMahieu to score and made it 5-2.
In the 7th, the Yankees tied it.
- Angels reliever Luis Garcia came in and walked Mike Ford, allowed a single by Gio Urshela, and then walked Mike Tauchman to load the bases with nobody out.
- Angels manager Brad Ausmus did NOT take Garcia out — possibly sensing he could strikeout the weak-hitting Tyler Wade, due up next
- Tyler Wade WALKED to make it 5-3
- LeMahieu hit a sac fly to make it 5-4
- Luke Voit hit a grounder to the pitcher who threw home but Mike Tauchman was SAFE for the run and Voit was on base — TIE GAME — still 1 out.
Yankees come ALL THE WAY BACK! pic.twitter.com/KC40kQ4lH6
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) April 25, 2019
The Hidden Ball Trick
Then Brett Gardner hit a DRIVE to DEEP centerfield that Mike Trout made a spectacular over-the-shoulder catch on.
.@MikeTrout makes it look so easy. pic.twitter.com/RWELCLm4ei
— MLB (@MLB) April 25, 2019
Trout threw in — and the Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons and 2nd baseman Tommy La Stella did a ‘hidden ball’ trick on Tyler Wade — La Stella pounded his glove as if he had the ball while Simmons had it — Wade put his foot off the bag was tagged by Simmons. The play had to be reviewed — and it was called an out.
🚨 HIDDEN BALL TRICK 🚨 pic.twitter.com/L6Mqey2HIy
— MLB (@MLB) April 25, 2019
Yankee Twitter was pissed and there was a notion that the Angels had just given themselves bad Karma for the game.
Karma = Tyler Wade Redemption
Instant Karma came back to haunt the Angels in the 9th when Tyler Wade hit a two-out single, stole second, and scored on a clutch two-out single by DJ LeMahieu.
And with 2 outs in the 9th. We're on top. pic.twitter.com/1esxivoWIB
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 25, 2019
In the 9th, Aroldis Chapman came on and gave Yankee fans agita — allowing a one-out walk and getting La Stella to hit a line drive out to right that had “holy crap double” written all over it when it left the bat — but it was right at Yankee rightfielder Tauchman. With Mike Trout on deck, Chapman got David Fletcher to hit a hot grounder to 3rd base that Gio Urshela made a terrific play on for the final out. Phew.
6️⃣ STRAIGHT WWWWWW's‼️ pic.twitter.com/kvIuZiYAMG
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) April 25, 2019
The Hidden Hero
The hidden hero in this game was Jonathan Loaisiga, who pitched 3 masterful shutout innings in relief of CC Sabathia and kept the Yankees in the game.
The Kids from Scranton
So the Yanks scratched out a win with a team that might normally be all at Scranton if the regulars weren’t all injured — leading to the question: If Scranton is here, who’s at Scranton — Trenton? And then who’s at Trenton — Tampa? Where is Staten Island?
Tyler Wade = Hero
Wade was playing left field this game — remember just before the season began, Wade was sent to AAA while the Yankees acquired Tauchman, telling Wade they wanted to get a ‘real outfielder’, which pissed Wade off — and he was quoted as being pissed. In this game Wade went 2 for 3, scored the game winner, and got that big bases-loaded Walk to get an important RBI.
Tyler Wade was a victim of the hidden ball trick, but scoring in the 9th to put the Yankees ahead for good more than made up for it Wednesday night. pic.twitter.com/3FtUNJfQNo
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) April 25, 2019
After the game the Yankees announced they’d acquired centerfielder Cameron Maybin from Cleveland for cash — another ‘real outfielder’ so Wade doesn’t have to play outfield anymore.
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