Marone. Cardiac Clay Squeaks Out Win in 9th. NY 8 Texas 7

August 12, 2024 paperbacklou 2024 0

This win felt like a JOURNEY.

“Cardiac” Clay Holmes got a groundout to end the game with the tying run on 3rd, and the go-ahead run on 2nd as the Yankees beat Texas on a Beautiful Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.

But oh the agita!

People all over NYC were having glasses of wine or bourbon to deal with it as the Yanks turned what had been 6-1 lead in the 7th, and 8-3 lead in the 8th, into a pressure cooker.

The game was remit with good starting pitching, offensive explosions, defensive calamities, and bullpen fiascos.

Good news: Marcus Stroman figured out what he described as mechanical issues, and pitched a shutout into the 6th. The heart of the Yankee lineup showed up and looked vaunted: Juan Soto hit 2 homers, Aaron Judge hit a homer, and Giancarlo Stanton hit a homer.

Defensively, in the 7th with NY up 6-1, bases loaded and 2 out — first Jazz Chisholm Jr.cut in front of Anthony Volpe to botch what was going to be an easy grounder for the final out — instead 2 runs scored. And on the next play, Gleyber Torres cut in front of Anthony Volpe who was about to field the easy grounder for the final out — and instead made the play much more difficult, just nabbing the runner on a cross-body throw.

“Yankee infielders just don’t want Volpe to field the ball this inning,” said Suzyn Waldman on the broadcast. All of this on Anthony Volpe Gold Glove Bobblehead Day.

In relief, Mark Leiter Jr.got lit up, coughing up 2 homers in the 8th to make it an 8-6 game, and then Holmes with the pressure-cooker 9th.

“Some days you have better stuff than others,” said an always-calm Holmes afterwards. “Kind of hit a little wall there. Got a little tired. I knew it’s just a matter of digging down deep and making 1 pitch to get out of it.”

“It was a great start by Stro, and just I was able to come in and the bullpen just do enough to get the win there,” added Holmes.

NY improves to 70-49 and with Baltimore losing in the evening, vault into a 1st place tie. The Yanks and Baltimore are the only 2 teams with 70 wins. Texas falls to 55-63.

1. Stroman Figures It Out

Marcus Stroman had been slammed in his prior 2 outings, leading many Yankee fans to speculate he was tired at this point in the season — but in interviews he said he felt fine, his mechanics were slightly off. “Just mechanically I just got to get back to where I was,” said Stroman after his last start. “Not being able to repeat my mechanics pitch after pitch; there’s too much variance from inning to inning and pitch to pitch.” To fix it, Stroman said he’d be hitting the “weight room and spend a lot of time mechanically just figuring it out.”

It looked like he figured it out because in this game it was vintage Stroman — his sinker sinking, getting lots of ground ball outs and strikeouts, and easy innings.

Stroman, sporting his light green glove, scattered 4 hits and 3 walks over 5+ innings, getting a double play to end the 4th and pitching a 1-2-3 inning in the 5th before allowing a leadoff walk and then an RBI double to Corey Seager to start the 6th. Stroman was relieved leading 5-1.

Stroman would get the win eventually, to go 8-6 4.10.

2. Stanton Sac Fly Puts Yanks Up in 1st

The Yanks jumped on top in the bottom of the 1st against old friend Andrew Heaney. Alex Verdugo reached on an error, and after Juan Soto flied out, Aaron Judge singled, and Giancarlo Stanton did his job hitting a sac fly for a 1-0 NY lead.

3. Soto HR Makes It 2-0 NY in 3rd

Juan Soto made it 2-0 Yanks with a monster homerun with 2 outs in the 3rd.

4. Stanton Makes ‘Em Pay for Walking Judge

DJ LeMahieu and Alex Verdugo hit back-to-back singles to lead off the 5th, but Juan Soto lined out into a double play — Verdugo caught off 1st. With 2 outs and the runner on 2nd, the Angels intentionally walked Aaron Judge to bring up Giancarlo Stanton.

And Stanton made them pay with a ROCKET to left for a 3-run homer and 5-0 NY lead.

5. Cousins Good

NFL star Kirk Cousins’ cousin Jake Cousin relieved Stroman with a runner on 2nd (Seager) and nobody out in the 6th. Cousins struck out the 1st batter he faced, but then allowed a single to put runners on 1st and 3rd, 1 out in a 5-1 game.

But Cousins got tough and struck out Wyatt Langford and Nathaniel Lowe to end the inning, stranding the runners.

6. LeMahieu Hits One in the Air for Sac Fly

The Yanks made it 6-1 in the bottom of the 6th — Gleyber Torres and Jazz Chisholm Jr.leading off with consecutive singles, Volpe fouling out, but DJ LeMahieu getting a clutch, 1-out sac fly — getting the ball in the air which he had been having so much trouble this season doing until lately, when he’s been hot. LeMahieu went 2-4 on the day with the sac fly.

7. They Wouldn’t Let Volpe Field Ball in 7th

And then came the wacky 7th — when Yankee infielders wouldn’t let Volpe field the ball for the final out on Anthony Volpe Gold Glove Bobblehead Day.

Cousins allowed a leadoff single and was relieved by Tommy Kahnle. Kahnle got a foul out, but then yielded an infield single and a bunt single to load the bases with 1 out.

Kahnle reared back and struck out Corey Seager for the 2nd out, and then got Marcus Semien to hit a routine grounder to Volpe at shortstop to end the inning — not. Third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr.cut in front of Volpe at the last instant and botched the grounder. Two runs scored. NY 6 Texas 3.

On the very next play, Kahnle got Josh Jung to hit a routine grounder to Volpe at shortstop to end the inning — this time 2nd baseman Gleyber Torres cut in front of Volpe at the last second, and whirled around and threw to 1st, JUST beating the runner. “Same thing!” exclaimed Suzyn Waldman on the radio as Craig Carton was doing the play by play.

8. Soto & Judge Go Back to Back

The Yanks got the runs back immediately against reliever Andrew Chafin as NY’s vaunted middle of the lineup stepped up — first Juan Soto with a MONSTER homer to the 2nd deck in right — his 2nd homer of the day.

And then Aaron Judge back-to-back and belly-to-belly. NY 8 Texas 3.

9. Leiter Gets Lit Up

But not so fast: Mark Leiter Jr.came in for the top of the 8th — and coughed up a solo homer to Lowe, and then with 2 outs, walked Leody Taveras and coughed up a 2-run homer to Carson Kelly and it was an 8-6 game.

10. Cardiac Clay Finish

To the 9th — NY up 8-6 and Yankee fans buckled up for the Cardiac Clay Holmes Rollercoaster Ride.

He did not disappoint.

Clay struck out the first 2 batters. But Yankee fans know that that means nothing. That is always just the warmup.

And true to fashion, Holmes then got cute on his pitches, just missing some strikes, and then lost the strike zone — walking Langford and Lowe. Then a basehit by Adolis Garcia and it was an 8-7 game with the tying run on 3rd.

Then Garcia stole 2nd so the go-ahead run was in scoring position.

A glass of wine please. No, make it bourbon.

Holmes went 1-2 on Leody Taveras. But then threw 2 straight balls to go 3-2.

Finally, a ground ball to 2nd — Gleyber Torres…. MAKES the PLAY for the old ballgame.

“The sliders felt pretty good so I wanted to lean on them a little bit,” said Holmes afterwards. “The sinker when I went to it the movement may not have been its best; it’s just a matter of making a good pitch. Just trying slow things down; take a breath; try to gather myself, slow the heart rate down; take it one pitch at a time; I knew if I could just make one good pitch we’d be out of it there.”

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401570246

 

 

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