Boone & the Bullpen Blow Cole’s Great Start. Texas 9 NY 4

August 11, 2024 paperbacklou 2024 0

Gerrit Cole was pitching a tremendous game and was at only 90 pitches after getting the 1st out of the 6th in a 1-1 tie — but manager Aaron Boone removed him — per pre-game strategy of limiting Cole’s pitch count — and brought in Luke Weaver.

Weaver didn’t have it — and was missing the strike zone badly with pitches — but instead of yanking Weaver after he allowed the first 3 batters he faced to get on, loading the bases, Boone left him in — and didn’t even start warming anyone in the pen until Weaver walked in a run. A sac fly and 3-run homer by Corey Seager later, Boone brought in Michael Tonkin with the Yanks down 6-1.

Good news for Boone — Tonkin might not have made a difference anyway as he got ripped too — allowing 3 runs on 5 hits in the next inning to make it a 9-1 rout.

On a gorgeous, 78-degree, low-humidity, sunny late Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium — the 2nd game of a doubleheader wherein the Yanks won the first game 8-0.

By the time NY scored 3 runs late — on homers by Giancarlo Stanton and Jazz Chisholm Jr.in the 8th — the stadium was relatively empty as people went off to do other things on the gorgeous day after a doubleheader of baseball.

Cole’s outing was good news — Cole had missed the first few months of the season after being shutdown due to arm weariness in Spring training following his Cy Young year, and only started pitching at the beginning of July. He had several good starts, then got bombed by the Mets July 24th, and then was shutdown a week due to ‘general tiredness’ which included a stomach flu. Cole pitched well against Toronto on August 4th, and this was his 2nd start since the 1-week shutdown.

“We were going to be pretty strict to 90 (pitches) today,” said manager Aaron Boone afterwards about Cole. “Just with what he’s been through — it was encouraging to see him throw the ball the way he did today. Just rough rest of the inning there.”

NY drops to 69-49 and a game out of 1st as Baltimore won in the evening. Defending champ Texas improves to 55-62.

1. Gleyber Gets Yanks on Board

Just like the first game, Gleyber Torres got the Yanks on the board first with an RBI single in the bottom of the 2nd inning.

Jazz Chisholm Jr.singled against 26-yr-old lefty starter Cody Bradford, stole 2nd, and Gleyber singled him home for a 1-0 lead.

2. Cole Great

Meanwhile Gerrit Cole was dominant from the get-go, pitching a 1-2-3 inning in the 1st, and pitching around a single and a walk in the 2nd, with 2 strikeouts.

Cole struck out the first 2 batters of the 3rd, then walked 2 in a row, then got a strikeout to end the inning.

In the 4th, Cole got in trouble — allowing a leadoff single to leftfielder Wyatt Langford, walking 1st baseman Nathaniel Lowe, and then allowing an RBI single to Adolis Garcia for a 1-1 tie.

With 1st and 2nd, still nobody out — Cole struck out the next 3 batters to end the inning.

Cole then pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 5th on 11 pitches.

3. Boone & the Bullpen Blow It

And then came the 6th. Cole got the first out on 3 pitches — Wyatt Langford fouling out. Cole was cruising but Boone came out and yanked him at 90 pitches. Cole’s line: 5.1 IP, 6 hits, 1 run, 10 K’s, 2 walks. He lowers his ERA; his record is now 3-2 4.70.

In came Luke Weaver who has been Dynamite for NY this year — and came in with an ERA at 2.81. But Weaver didn’t have it — he was missing the strike zone badly, wherein normally he has excellent control.

The Soto-Gleyber-Chisholm ‘Almost’ Play

With 1 out, Weaver allowed consecutive singles to the first 2 batters he faced, then allowed a line shot to left by centerfielder Leody Taveras — which Juan Soto almost made a tremendous catch on, but the ball popped out of his glove. Soto picked up the ball and tossed it to Gleyber Torres — calling for the ball — and Gleyber rifled a throw to 3rd base to nab the runner, who was called out.

The umps came out on the field and decided to review the play. On review it was ruled that Chisholm’s tag was ‘just’ late and that his foot was also off the bag — all Chisholm needed to do was have his foot on the bag — but Chisholm also tried to tag the runner because he wasn’t sure if Soto’s play would be ruled a catch, thereby removing the force — said Boone later.

Instead of 1st and 2nd, 2 outs — it was bases loaded, 1 out.

Nobody Warming in the Pen

And Weaver still didn’t have the strike zone — while Boone still didn’t have anyone warming in the pen, according to Suzyn Waldman on the radio.

Weaver walked the next batter Carson Kelly on 4 pitches to force in a run and make it 2-1 Texas. Finally Boone had Michael Tonkin start warming, and Waldman noted that Tonkin takes hardly any time to warm up.

It was too late.

Josh Smith hit a sac fly to Soto in right that Soto ‘just’ made the catch on — his eyes blinded by the setting sun.

And then Corey Seager hit a 3-run bomb to right and it was a 6-1 game. Boone finally yanked Weaver and brought in Tonkin.

Tonkin got the first batter he faced to end the 6th — and got the first 2 batters of the 7th, but with 2 outs — his horse-and-carriage turned into a pumpkin: single, single, 2-RBI double (by Taveras), RBI single (by Kelly) and it was 9-1. Tonkin allowed yet another single before getting Seager on a lineout to 3rd that Jazz Chisholm Jr.made a great play on to end the inning.

4. Leiter & Kahnle Wrap Up

Mark Leiter Jr.pitched the 8th — shutout ball, and Tommy Kahnle pitched a shutout top of 9th.

Anthony Volpe had a tough day at the plate — going 0-5 in the 1st game and 0-4 in the 2nd game — this after he suffered a badly bruised ankle after fouling off a pitch on Thursday. But Volpe made a tremendous play in the field behind Leiter in the 8th.

5. Giancarlo & Chisholm HR’s in 8th Make It 9-4

The Yanks finally got more runs late — in the 8th, Aaron Judge walked with 2 outs, and Giancarlo Stanton RIPPED a shot to center for a 9-3 game.

Jazz Chisholm Jr.went belly-to-belly with a HR to right center and it was 9-4.

But Gleyber made out to end the inning, and the Yanks went out 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 9th against old friend David Robertson for the old ballgame.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401702747

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