Luis Gil Is Back with a BANG. Weaver Closes. Yanks 3 Cubs 0

September 7, 2024 paperbacklou 2024 0
Luis Gil with 6 innings of 1-hit shutout ball, striking out 7 and walking 2.

Luis Gil was back with a BANG from a 2-week absence due to a back strain — firing 6 shutout innings as he and the Yankee pen combined for a 1-hit shutout.

Jake Cousins and Tommy Kahnle set up Luke Weaver for the save — Weaver replacing Clay Holmes as the closer for the first time. Weaver got the first 2 outs of the 9th, pitched carefully to Clay Bellinger, walking him, and then got the tough Isaac Paredes to ground out in an 11-pitch at bat, with a terrific play by Gleyber Torres at 2nd to end it.

The Yankees got all their runs in the 3rd — an RBI double by Aaron Judge followed by a 2-RBI single by Austin Wells.

On a beautiful but Windy Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field, game time start at 2:20pm.

When asked about his first MLB save, Luke Weaver said “Well, I could give you the correct answer – professional answer – or I could give you the actual answer: I couldn’t see straight. I was blacked out for the most part. I was on pure adrenaline. But it was a great time.”

The Yankees improve to 81-60, and were momentarily back tied for 1st, but Baltimore won in the evening so NY is now .5 back again. Chicago falls to 72-69.

1. Gil Great

Luis Gil was back from a 16-day absence and looked better than ever. His easy-delivery heat starting out around 94-MPH and as the afternoon progressed, he was throwing 97 and 98 MPH, offset by his filthy slider, and then came the changeup, for strikeouts or easy fly outs or ground outs.

The Yanks got him a 3-0 lead in the 3rd, and Gil just motored, in total command and pitching free and easy with great stuff. He left after 6 innings and 89 pitches — manager Aaron Boone said afterwards he wanted to keep him at 80 pitches but he let him finish the 6th.

Gil’s line: 6 IP, 1 hit, 0 runs, 7 K’s, 2 walks. He wins to go 13-6 3.24. He is back in contention for American League Rookie of the Year.

2. Judge & Wells Drive in 3 in 3rd

And one of the guys he’s competing with for AL Rookie of the Year is teammate Austin Wells, the Thurman Munson-esq catcher. The lefty-swinging Wells, batting cleanup for this potent Yankee lineup, got Gil 2 runs with a big hit off a big lefty in the 3rd.

The inning started against Chicago 25-year-old, 6’3 lefty Jordan Wicks with a walk by Gleyber Torres, and a single by Juan Soto.

Aaron Judge then ripped a double down the line in left, scoring Gleyber and it was 1-0 Yanks.

Austin Wells, batting next, hit the first pitch to him for a single to left, plating both Soto and Judge. NY 3 Chicago 0.

3. Cousins Very Good

And that was all the Yankees got, and thanks to the bullpen — all the Yankees needed.

Wicks left after 5 innings, and then Keegan Thompson, Shawn Armstrong, and Trey Wingenter shut the Yankees out the rest of the way. NY got 7 hits and 3 runs — on another day perhaps a loss but today an easy win.

NFL star Kirk Cousins’ cousin Jake Cousins pitched the 7th — walking Clay Bellinger to start the inning, but then striking out Paredes, and getting 2nd baseman Nico Hoerner to hit into a fielder’s choice. With 2 outs, Hoerner attempted to steal 2nd — and Austin Wells rifled a throw to 2nd — but nobody covered — Gleyber Torres, who was closest to the bag, hesitated, and Anthony Volpe was nowhere near the bag. The ball went into centerfield and Hoerner went to 3rd. Austin Wells got charged with the error!!

But Cousins picked up Gleyber by striking out Swanson to end the inning.

4. Kahnle Very Good

Tommy Kahnle was very good — pitching a 1-2-3 inning in the 8th — groundout, strike out, strikeout.

5. Weaver Closes

And then out came Luke Weaver to close the game for the first time ever — replacing Clay Holmes who blew his MLB-leading 11th save the other day by allowing a Grand Slam to end it.

Weaver faced the heart of the Cubs order — and struck out the first 2 batters, then walked Clay Bellinger with 4 straight balls after getting ahead of him 0-2.

Weaver went 2-0 on Isaac Paredes, but came back with 2 strikes. Then a foul ball, and a ball to go 3-2. Weaver then kept filling the strike zone and Paredes kept fouling off 3-2 pitches — 4 straight foul balls — before finally a grounder up the middle that Gleyber made a terrific play on — firing cross body to former Cub Anthony Rizzo who made a nice stretch at 1st for the old ballgame.

Etcetera

  • It was Anthony Rizzo’s first game in Chicago since leaving the Cubs, and he was feted and applauded greatly. Rizzo is a legend in Chicago for his great hitting and defense and for helping them win their first World Series after the long drought — a World Series he caught the final out on for the win. Ironically, he caught the final out of this game for a Yankee win.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401570586

 

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