Luis Gil Masterpiece & Oswaldo HR Lift Yanks. NY 2 Baltimore 0

May 2, 2024 paperbacklou 2024 0

Luis Gil pitched masterful, 2-hit, shutout ball into the 7th inning, Oswaldo Cabrera hit a 2-run homer for the only runs of the game, and the Yankee bullpen shut the door, with a “filthy” Clay Holmes getting a 1.2 inning save.

Final score NY 2 Baltimore 0 on a warm Wednesday night in Baltimore. The Yanks go back into a virtual tie with Baltimore for 1st place in the AL East.

The Yankees only got 4 hits, but beat Orioles ace and 2021 NL Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes on the Oswaldo HR that just made it into the netting by the foul pole down the right field line in the 5th — wedging between the netting and the foul pole — and immediately getting knicknamed “the wedgie homer.”

“Every time out for him, it’s gaining more experience, gaining more confidence, learning,” said manager Aaron Boone afterwards about Gil. “Look he knows when he walks out there he’s equipped to get good hitters out. It’s about execution, and he executed tonite.”

NY improves to 20-12; Baltimore drops to 19-11. There is one more game left in the 4-game set; the Orioles having won the 1st two games by similar scores, 2-0 and 4-2.

1. Gil Great

Luis Gil (pronounced “heel” like in “Gilamonster”) was absolutely great. He erased the control problems he had in his prior start, where he walked 5. In this one, he only walked 1 batter, and allowed only 2 hits, pitching shutout ball into the 7th, striking out 5.

“I knew this game would be special for him, because he was so serious on the bus,” said Oswaldo Cabrera afterwards. “When I stepped on the bus and I saw that guy just concentrating, in my mind, I was like, ‘Watch out.’”

Gil attacked the tough Oriole lineup with 98-MPH high heat, and a wicked 90-MPH changeup with 88-MPH slider.

Gil pitched 1-2-3 innings in the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 6th — and in between, allowed 1-out singles in the 3rd and 5th, after which he immediately got the next 2 outs. There was never an Oriole runner in scoring position.

In the 7th, Gil walked the leadoff batter Ryan Mountcastle, then got a fly out and was relieved at 95 pitches.

The 6.1 shutout innings was his longest start in the big leagues; he wins to go 2-1 3.19.

 

2. Oswaldo “Wedgie” Homer Beats Burnes

On the other mound was Corbin Burns, who the Orioles acquired in the winter to be their ace, and he has been that — coming in with a 3-0 2.55 record.

Burns shut down the Yanks primarily with his 95-MPH Cutter, throwing it 90 percent of the time, with a very occasional curveball or slider.

Burns was tough; only 3 Yankees solved him: Juan Soto, Oswaldo Cabrera, and Jose Trevino.

Burns allowed only 4 hits in 6 innings: Juan Soto got a 1-out single in the 1st inning,, and then stole 2nd base, but was stranded as Burns struck out Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. Oswaldo Cabrera got a 1-out single in the 3rd.

Then in the 5th, Jose Trevino reached on a 2-out infield single, and Oswaldo Cabrera, switch hitter batting left handed, knocked a homer to right — it just making it over the fence and just fair — hitting into the netting and getting wedged between the netting and the foul pole. The “Wedgie Homer”.

3. Caleb Gets Last 2 Outs of 7th

After the walk and the flyout in the 7th, and Gil at 95 pitches, Boone brought in Caleb Ferguson who stuck out Colton Cowser and Jordan Westburg to end the inning.

4. Hamilton Not Good in 8th

Ian Holmes came in for the 8th in the 2-0 game, and wasn’t good again. He walked Cedric Mullins to leadoff, then hit Kjerstad with a pitch. Modern MLB rules say a pitcher must face 3 batters, so Hamilton stayed in and got Anthony Santander on a foul out.

5. Holmes Saves the Night with “Filthy” “Bowling Balls”

Boone relieved Hamilton with Clay Holmes — the Yanks clinging to their 2-0 lead with 1st and 2nd and Baltimore’s best two hitters coming up: Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutchman.

Holmes struck them both out on 7 total pitches — a 98-MPH sinker and an 89-MPH slider. The pitch sequence to the two batters was: Sinker, Slider, Sinker, Slider (K of Gunnar swinging), Sinker, Sinker, Slider (K of Rutschman swinging).

In the 9th, Holmes allowed a leadoff infield single to O’Hearn, but then struck out Ryan Mountcastle, and got Coswer and Westburg to ground out for the old ballgame.

Pitching Ninja provided an overlay of Holmes’ sinker and slider:

Afterwards, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde summed up: “Clay Holmes — that’s about as nasty as it gets. You’re throwing 97-MPH BOWLING BALLS with a Slider, it’s going to be tough to score against.”

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401568933

 

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