For the second night in a row, the Yankees shredded a Seattle Mariner ace — this time Logan Gilbert — in route to a 10-2 win in Seattle. The night before, NY beat rookie ace Bryce Miller, 10-4. On Sunday, NY won 10-7 making this the 3rd straight game the Yanks had scored 10 runs.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa was the hitting star — going 4-5 with a 2-RBI single in the 1st inning, and a 2-RBI single in the 9th inning. Anthony Volpe had the decisive blow — a 3-run homer in the 3rd to make it a 6-0 game at the time.
Greg Allen — playing centerfield in place of injured Harrison Bader — hit a homer, and so did Aaron Judge — his American-League-leading 18th of the year.
On the mound Nestor Cortes Jr threw down a solid start — leaving after 5 innings and 101 pitches with a 7-2 lead. Michael King and Ryan Weber wrapped up with 4 scoreless innings.
‘He’s continuing to build on a really impressive couple of weeks for him at the plate,” said manager Aaron Boone about Kiner-Falefa. “We’ve seen some power in there and tonite — just hitting the ball on a line a lot. He’s in a really good place, had a good BP again today and carried it into the game. The work he’s been doing behind the scenes has him in a really good spot, and he’s walking up there with a lot of confidence right now.”
NY improves to 34-23, 5 games back of Tampa and 2 back of Baltimore. Seattle falls to 28-27.
1. Falefa Red Hot
Coming in this was an anticipated pitchers’ duel between Cortes and Logan Gilbert, who entered with a 3-2 3.60 record and is considered one of the best young pitchers in the AL, and who has stifled the Yanks in the past.
But the Yankee leadoff batters Gleyber Torres and Aaron Judge continued where they left off Monday night: getting on base to set up rallies.
Gleyber led off the 1st with a single and Judge walked. DJ LeMahieu got on due to an error and Isiah Kiner-Falefa came up with bases loaded. He rapped a single to center, scoring 2 runs.
IKF gets it started 👏 pic.twitter.com/i28ZRd93lm
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 31, 2023
Jake Bauers followed with a sac fly and just like that NY was up 3-0 over the vaunted Logan Gilbert.
2. Volpe 3-Run Bomb
The Yanks pounced on Gilbert again in the 3rd — a leadoff single by Willie Calhoun, and a 1-out single by Kiner-Falefa set the stage for Anthony Volpe, who came up with 2 outs — and hit a 1-2 slider 413 feet to left center for a 3-run homer and 6-0 NY lead.
High Volpage ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/VlKCux4Mhn
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 31, 2023
3. Allen HR Chases Gilbert
Greg Allen hit a homer to right leading off the 4th and it was 7-0 NY. The route was on.
Allen gets in on the action 💪 pic.twitter.com/9VEGIqb1on
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 31, 2023
Logan Gilbert got the last 3 outs of the 4th and was gone — 4 innings, 7 hits, 5 earned runs; his ERA climbs to 4.08.
4. Cortes Good
Meanwhile Nestor Cortes wasn’t perfect — but he worked through minor trouble to lay down another solid start: 5 innings, 5 hits, 2 runs.
Cortes allowed a baserunner in the 1st on an error by Volpe, a double in the 2nd, a single in the 3rd, a 2-out single and walk in the 4th, and in the 5th, 2 walks and 2 doubles for 2 runs.
Nestor Cortes, Nasty 86mph Changeup. 👌 pic.twitter.com/bf8shE3HwM
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 31, 2023
Manager Aaron Boone felt Cortes’s fastball was ‘crispy’. Cortes agreed. “I thought it was pretty good; I was commanding both sides of the plate,” said Cortes afterwards. “It’s becoming a lot better at finding the top of the zone more consistently. I thought I did a pretty good job of that.”
“It all starts during catch-play,” added Cortes. “Just finding what the top of the zone is, and before the game in the bullpen, just making sure I’m hitting that top string that we have lined up out there — really gets me dialed — so that if I’m missing a little up, that’s where I want to be.”
Cortes had a 7-0 lead entering the 5th, and left with a 7-2 lead after 101 pitches. He wins to go 5-2 5.16.
5. Judge HR
Aaron Judge made it 8-2 with a homer to left center leading off the 7th. He now has as many homers this year (18) as he had last year at this point in the season.
Stop sitting.#AllRise pic.twitter.com/U6JS9ZoU67
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 31, 2023
6. Falefa Sandwich
Isiah Kiner-Falefa continued his torrid hitting in the 9th — ripping a 2-RBI single that plated Aaron Judge (who had led off the inning with a walk) and Willie Calhoun (who had singled) to make it 10-2 NY. That gave Kiner-Falefa the 2-RBI single in the 1st and the 9th — a 4-RBI sandwich.
4-hit night for IKF 🙌 pic.twitter.com/xvrYi9KNaO
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 31, 2023
7. Bullpen Great Again
Michael King allowed a double, pop out, lineout, single in the 6th — but struck out the last batter to get out of it with no runs scored, and pitched a shutout 7th.
Michael King, 95mph Sinker and 82mph Sweeper, Overlay pic.twitter.com/qRwUTJpoiR
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 31, 2023
Ryan Weber pitched shutout ball in the 8th and 9th for the old ballgame.
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