German Out-Duels Scherzer. Yankees 4 Mets 2

August 23, 2022 paperbacklou 2022 0

Domingo German out-dueled Max Scherzer, and Aaron Judge hit a homer off the Mets ace, to carry the Yankees to a 4-2 victory at Yankee Stadium.

Andrew Benintendi joined Judge as a hitting star, getting on base 3 out of 4 times — going 2-3 with a hit-by-pitch, scoring a run and driving in 2.

Ron Marinaccio and Jonathan Loaisiga each pitched 1.1 innings of no-hit, shutout relief to hold the fort.

“He’s found a good rhythm here these last several starts,” said manager Aaron Boone afterwards of German. “It’s a late start for him — for the season. So he’s getting into the meat of his season now, where he’s racked up some outings; he’s got some experience; he’s got some rhythm going. And it shouldn’t be that big of a surprise. He’s been a really good pitcher for us, and he’s throwing the ball that way now.”

It was a Huge win for the now 75-48 Yankees — their second in a row as they look to break out of the massive slump they had been in. They maintain their 8 game lead over Tampa and are now 8.5 over Toronto, 11 over Baltimore, and 14.5 over Boston.

The Mets fall to 79-45, 3 games over Atlanta.

1. German Out-Duels Scherzer

There’s a reason why the Yankees kept Domingo German and added him to the starting rotation instead of trading him at the trade deadline. German went 18-4 in 2019. He is a good starting pitcher who knows how to go deep into games.

This was German’s 7th start since coming back from injury — his first start of the season coming on July 21 against Houston. He’s looked better and better each start and this was his best one yet. He was the old German, throwing his 81 MPH curveball to effect, getting ground ball double plays when he need them.

German used mostly 81-MPH curveballs and his 93-MPH fastball, with occasional sinkers and off-speed pitches thrown in — to set the Mets off balance all night.

German’s slash line was 6.1 innings, 4 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned run, 3 K’s, 0 walks. He wins to go 2-2 3.89.

2. Yanks Jump On Top

Andrew Benintendi fueled the Yankee offense all evening. In the bottom of the 1st he got hit by a pitch leading off, went to 3rd on a single by Anthony Rizzo, and scored on a sac fly by DJ LeMahieu. Benintendi flew to home with a head-first slide to just beat the throw. The Yanks had a 1-0 lead off Scherzer.

3. Judge Revenge Against Scherzer

The last time Scherzer faced Aaron Judge on July 27, Scherzer struck out Judge 3 times en route to Judge taking an 0-5 collar (0-4 vs Scherzer).

This time, Judge struck out against Scherzer in the 1st but in the 3rd, hit a 2-run bomb to opposite-field right — his 47th homer of the year — to make it 2-0 Yankees.

Judge would later single off Scherzer in the 7th — which would send Scherzer to the showers. Judge went 2-4 this time with the HR. Ironically, it was just after that game on July 27 that the Yankees announced they had traded for Benintendi (see Etcetera section here).

4. Benintendi Double Makes It 3-0

Isiah Kiner-Falefa led off the bottom of the 5th with a grounds rules double off Scherzer that bounced over the fence in deep center, and after Marwin Gonzalez sacrificed Falefa to 3rd, Andrew Benintendi belted a shot just over 1st down the right field line for a double and 3-0 Yankee lead.

5. Vogelbach Brings Mets Back

Domingo German was cruising and leading 3-0, when in the top of the 7th, after striking out Francisco Lindor to begin the frame, he got Pete Alonso to pop up into shallow right field. Rookie Oswaldo Cabrera — playing 2nd base — went out for it but didn’t hear Yankee rightfielder Marwin Gonzalez call for it. Their two gloves collided as they both tried to catch the ball, and it fell for an error.

Next batter Daniel Vogelbach cashed by hitting second-pitch curveball for a homer to right and the Mets had carved the Yankee lead to 3-2.

That was it for German, replaced by Ron Marinaccio who got the final 2 outs of the inning.

6. Benintendi Insurance

But the Yanks came right back with an insurance run off Scherzer in the bottom of the 7th. With 1 out, Isiah Kiner-Falefa beat out an infield hit and went to 2nd on an ensuing throwing error by Francisco Lindor.

Gonzalez popped out but with 2 outs, Andrew Benintendi golfed Scherzer’s 94th pitch of the evening into right for an RBI single and 4-2 Yankee lead.

Judge followed with a single to send Scherzer to the showers.

7. Marinaccio & Loaisiga Close It Out

Ron Marinaccio walked the first batter in the 8th, but then got a strikeout and fly out — and was pulled by Aaron Boone. Boone has a tendency to pull pitchers with 2 outs in an inning, noted John Sterling on the radio, who was bemused they Boone would do it to Marinaccio who was sailing along.

In came Jonathan Loaisiga — and Yankee Twitter felt the same way as Sterling. But Loaisiga got Starling Marte to fly out to end the inning, and pitched a 1-2-3 9th inning — striking out the final batter, Vogelbach, for the old ballgame.

Etcetera

  • As the Yankee game was ending, news came across the Twitter wire that old Yank Jordan Montgomery was pitching a shutout for St Louis against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. He ended up pitching a complete-game 1-hit shutout, which had Yankee Twitter a twatter.

Even CC Sabathia weighed in:

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401356043

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