Yanks Bludgeon Marlins: NY 11 Florida 4 — 5 Reasons How

September 27, 2020 paperbacklou 2020 0

This one looked like another loss in the 5th inning — but with hope at a low point on a grey, 70-degree September afternoon in NY, the Yankees woke up to crush the Marlins and stay 1 game ahead of Toronto for the 5th spot in the playoff race. Here’s how they won:

1. The Yankee Offense

It isn’t over until the fat lady sings, and in this game, the fat lady was the Yankee offense. Shutout thru 4 innings it exploded for the 11-4 win. The Yanks were shutout the first 3 innings by 6’6 left hander Trevor Rogers, who entered with an ERA over 6.00 but was throwing 98 MPH fastballs and looked very good. Inexplicably, Florida manager Don Mattingly lifted him after 54 pitches, and brought in Ryne Stanek.

Stanek pitched a shutout 4th before the Yanks got to him in the 5th — a Tyler Wade 2-run homer.

After Aaron Judge walked, James Hoyt was brought in and was greeted by a Giancarlo Stanton RBI Double to tie the score at 3-3. The grey day looked brighter all of a sudden, even though it was still grey out. Tyler Wade‘s homer was credited on Yankee Twitter for waking up the Yankee offense — they’d go on to score 7 runs in the 6th to blow the game open.

2. The Florida Pitching

For the 6th, Florida brought in former Yankee Stephen Tarpley and he struggled: a walk to Gio Urshela and a 2-run Bomb by Aaron Hicks gave the Yanks the lead, 5-3.

Tarpley hit Clint Frazier, walked Gary Sanchez, and then DJ LeMahieu doubled in 2 and it was 7-3 NY.

In came Nick Vincent to walk Giancarlo Stanton and then allow a 3-run Bomb by Luke Voit, his 22nd homer of the year and it was 10-3 NY and the old ballgame.

3. LeMahieu with 4 Hits; Voit Another Homer

Throughout the day, LeMahieu kept getting hits — he led off the bottom of the 1st with a single, doubled in those 2 runs in the 6th, singled in another run in the 7th to make it 11-4. He finished 4-5 to raise his average to .359, over 20 points ahead of 2nd place Tim Anderson at .337 heading into his evening game. LeMahieu pretty much put away the batting title. (Tim Anderson went 0-5 in Chicago’s evening game to lower his average to .328.)

And Luke Voit with that 22nd home run, extended his lead over Jose Abreu who still has 19.

4. Deivi Pitched Well

Deivi Garcia is fun to watch pitch. He is slight of build — listed 5’10” but seems smaller — probably 5’9″ or less — and only about 160 pounds — but he has a pretty live fastball that moves, off speed pitches that move even more, and total confidence and a game plan on the mound. He pitches like a master, and seems able to weather storms.

In this game, Deivi got nickeled and dimed to death in the 3rd inning — a single by centerfielder Matt Harrison and double that fell in by shortstop Miguel Rojas made it 1-0 Marlins. A single by 3rd baseman Jon Berti off LeMahieu’s glove scored another run to make it 2-0. Another soft single to left by DH Matt Joyce made it 3-0.

But Deivi dug in and kept going — shutout ball to the 7th allowing the Yankee offense to wake up. What looked like a Deivi loss all of a sudden became a tie game at 3-3 in the 5th, and then a possible win when the Yanks took the 5-3 lead off the Hicks homer in the 6th, then a probable win when NY made it 7-3, then a sure win when Voit’s homer made it 10-3 in the 6th.

About that same time the sun came out, literally, in NY.

Deivi got the 1st two outs of the 7th but then walked Berti and was gone, after 103 pitches. Adam Ottavino came in and allowed a single to Garrett Cooper and an RBI single to Joyce scoring the run on Deivi’s ledger — not fair.

5. A Tease of the Future in Yajure

The Yanks brought Miguel Yajure in to pitch the last 2 innings and he excelled — 1 hit shutout ball striking out 4. Yajure walked his first batter in the 8th and then allowed an infield single — but proceeded to then strike out the side. In the 9th he again walked the first batter, but then cruised thru the inning, striking out the last batter.

Yajure’s scouting report is that his fastball is average in speed (95 mph) but has tail life, and he is in command of an excellent changeup and cutter — causing many scouts to be very high on him. He blew thru the minors after Tommy John surgery in 2017, reaching AA Trenton last year with excellent numbers. Without any AAA experience he’s pitched for the Yanks this year (no minor leagues due to Coronavirus) and continues to “miss bats” on the Major League level. After the game they sent him back down to the Alternate Site.

Etcetera

At one point in the game both Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez, who both had 2 hits in each of the previous games, were 0-1 with 2 walks — showing that they are becoming very selective at the plate — a sign of getting in a groove. Judge finished 0-3 with 2 walks and a run scored; Sanchez 0-1 with 3 walks and 2 runs scored.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore?gameId=401226550

 

 

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