It was Anthony Rizzo Star Wars Jedi bobblehead night at Yankee Stadium — and Rizzo played the part — hitting a solo homer to tie the game early, and then hitting a dramatic 2-run homer in the 8th to lead the Yanks back from a 5-4 deficit to a 6-5 win.
Anthony Volpe also hit a Homer and went 2 for 3 in a feel-good night for NY.
Gerrit Cole started and was shaky to start but pitched 5 innings, allowing 2 runs. Volpe and Oswaldo Cabrera put NY ahead 4-2 with RBI singles in the 7th. But Michael King coughed up a 3-run homer in the 8th to gain Tampa a 5-4 lead — before Rizzo’s heroic HR in the bottom of the 8th.
On a warm, 80-degree Friday night in the Bronx — with a playoff intensity feel (as simultaneously the Knicks were losing their game 6 in a dogfight in Miami).
“It was one of those warm nights, kind of starting to look like summer,” said manager Aaron Boone afterwards. “And from jump street, the crowd was rocking and into it. It did have that little extra special, Friday-night, great-opponent, good-regular-season night here at the Stadium — that was fun to be a part of and witness. And I’m sure it helped play a role of helping put ourselves over the top tonite.”
NY improves to 22-18, 8 games behind 30-10 Tampa.
1. Cole Shaky to Start
Eyes were on Gerrit Cole to win a game against Tampa. Cole was coming off a game where he was cruising into the 5th but then blew a 6-0 lead when Boone didn’t take him out soon enough.
Cole got the first two outs — one on a strikeout — but then got into trouble — a homer to Randy Arozarena and then a walk to Brandon Lowe and single by Harold Ramirez. But he got a lineout to left to end the inning — sounded like a single off crack of the bat but it hung in the air.
After Anthony Rizzo tied the game in the bottom of the 1st with a homer, Cole got into trouble again in the 2nd — a 2-out, solo homer by Jose Siri. A walk followed then a grounder that Anthony Volpe booted -for an error. Not what Cole — who was clearly struggling — needed.
But Cole got Arozarena to fly out to end the 2nd.
Cole settled down — allowing a hit in the 3rd, pitching a 1-2-3 3rd inning, and scattering an Arozarena single in the 5th — striking out Ramirez to end the night at 95 pitches. His slash line: 5 innings, 4 hits, 2 runs, 4 K’s, 2 walks. His ERA goes to 2.22.
2. Rizzo HR in 1st Ties It
After Cole allowed a run in the top of the 1st, Anthony Rizzo — the Bobblehead Boy — immediately tied it in the bottom of the 1st with a homer to left off starter Trevor Kelley.
The Rizzolorian.#TeamRizzo pic.twitter.com/aclWyX18XN
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 12, 2023
3. Volpe Puts Yanks on Top
Anthony Volpe tied the game 2-2 with a 373-foot homer to opposite field right-center in the bottom of the 5th.
Tie Game. AV. 💪 pic.twitter.com/vsXq2fh7eP
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 13, 2023
4. Hamilton Good
Ian Hamilton pitched a strikeout-single-strikeout-single-strikeout 6th.
5. Volpe Puts Yanks On Top
DJ LeMahieu led off the 7th with a single, and with 1 out, Jake Bauers singled to put 1st and 2nd, 1 out. Volpe singled in a run for a 3-2 NY lead.
Volpe for the lead 👊 pic.twitter.com/K7lfNz6UWY
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 13, 2023
Then Oswaldo Cabrera singled in another to give NY a 4-2 lead.
One more on the board 🙌 pic.twitter.com/rTwGVoJ4dv
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 13, 2023
6. King Coughs Up Lead
Michael King pitched a shutout 7th, allowing a single but getting a double play to end the inning — but got hit in the 8th — giving up leadoff singles to Harold Ramirez and Isaac Paredes and then a 3-run Bomb to Jonathan Lowe.
King allowed another single then an out before being relieved by Clay Holmes allowed a single before getting the final 2 outs of the inning.
7. Rizzo Heroic Homer in 8th
Aaron Judge worked a 1-out walk off Tampa reliever Kevin Kelly in the 8th. Anthony Rizzo greeted reliever Adam with the heroic Jedi 398-foot homer to right center and 6-5 Yankee lead.
This is the way. #TeamRizzo pic.twitter.com/94Nvf3QyJm
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 13, 2023
8. Wandy the Save
Wandy Peralta struck out the first 2 batters of the 9th, allowed a single to Paredes, but got Manuel Margot on a comebacker groundout for the old ballgame.
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