Rizzo, Nestor, the Pen & Mariner Baserunning Gift! NY 2 Seattle 1 in 10 innings

September 19, 2024 paperbacklou 2024 0
Anthony Rizzo go-ahead RBI double in 10th.

Anthony Rizzo came through with 2 hits for the only 2 Yankee RBI’s of the night — a single in the 2nd to put NY up 1-0, and a double in the 10th for the game winner — as the Yankees survived elite Mariner pitching to win 2-1 in 10 innings on a Wednesday night in Seattle.

Seattle looked certain to tie the game in the bottom of the 10th with runners on 1st and 3rd and nobody out after a leadoff single. But Ian Hamilton struck out Randy Arozarena and the bat flew out of Arozarena’s hands down towards 3rd, causing the runner Julio Rodriguez to dodge it, stumble, and get picked off 3rd by Austin Wells — a strike-out-pick-off double play. Hamilton got another strikeout to end it, and send the Yanks to the playoffs — as the win clinched it for them.

Before that Nestor Cortes pitched 6 shutout innings, and the pen of Tommy Kahnle, Luke Weaver, Clay Holmes and Ian Hamilton was mostly brilliant (except for a solo homer allowed by Holmes in the 8th).

Seattle’s pitching of Bryce Miller, Troy Taylor, Andres Munoz, and Collin Snider was absolutely filthy — the Yanks got only 3 hits all night.

Afterwards, the Yanks celebrated making the playoffs.

“Obviously not getting in last year was difficult; tough off season,” said manager Aaron Boone afterwards. “Look we got a long way to go we know. This is just the 1st step. Obviously one of the goals you want to get in the dance and have a chance to go chase that prize. We got that accomplished. Hopefully now we can go out and win the division; get that next goal.”

NY improves to 89-63 and move to 5 games over Baltimore (which lost) with 10 games to go. Seattle falls to 77-75 and are 5 games out of the Wild Card.

1. Nestor Terrific

Nestor Cortes threw down again — 6 innings of 3-hit shutout baseball, striking out 6 and walking 3. He:

  1. Threw a 1-2-3 inning in the 1st,
  2. Pitched around a leadoff double and 2-out single in the 2nd,
  3. Threw a 1-2-3 inning in the 3rd,
  4. Pitched around a leadoff walk and 2-out walk in the 4th,
  5. Pitched around a leadoff single and 2-out single in the 5th,
  6. Pitched around a leadoff single in the 6th by getting a double play grounder and fly out.

He left with a 1-0 lead.

2. Rizzo Puts Yanks Up 1-0 in 2nd

Nestor was locked in a pitchers duel with Bryce Miller, a 26-year-old 6’2 righthander who is in his 2nd season with Seattle. He came in with a 11-8 3.12 record — and underneath that record was 167 IP and only 127 hits allowed with 158 K’s and 39 walks.

Miller lived up to the billing, pitching 6 innings of 2-hit ball, striking out 8 and walking 4. He utilized a 95-MPH sinker and lots of 87-MPH splitters, mixing in an 85-MPH slider, 85-MPH knuckle curve, and 94-MPH 4-seam fastball.

The Yanks got to him in the top of the 2nd when Jasson Dominguez walked with 1 out, stole 2nd, and scored on a 1-out single by Anthony Rizzo.

The Yanks managed a rally against Miller in the 3rd — a 2-out double by Juan Soto, walk to Aaron Judge and walk to Austin Wells loaded the bases — but Miller struck out Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Miller then retired the next 9 in a row with 5 more strikeouts to send the game to the 7th, NY up 1-0.

3. Seattle Pitching Elite

And then Troy Taylor came in and was even filthier than Miller, striking out the side in the 7th with a blazing 98-MPH fastball and 89-MPH slider.

And then Andres Munoz came in for the 8th and was even faster and filthier! Munoz was throwing 100 MPH with a nasty 88-MPH slider. The Yanks worked Munoz — Alex Verdugo worked a 9-pitch at bat before flying out, Gleyber Torres worked a 5-pitch at bat before grounding out, and Juan Soto worked a walk off him, but Aaron Judge struck out to end the inning.

And then Seattle brought in Collin Snider — who was just as filthy! Snider struck out the side in the top of the 9th — Austin Wells, Chisholm, and Dominguez — with his 96-MPH fastball and 83-MPH sweeper.

4. Kahnle Good; Holmes Good Until the HR

The Yanks matched that pitching. Tommy Kahnle came in for the 7th, and after walking the first batter got a strikeout and a ground out.

With a runner on 2nd and 2 outs in a 1-0 Yankee lead, Boone brought in Clay Holmes. Holmes got ROBBED by home plate ump Jim Wolf on 2 pitches to Julio Rodriguez that were clearly strikes that were called balls. Holmes should have struck out Rodriguez but instead he walked on a 3-2 pitch that looked like a strike.

Holmes won the day though by getting a fly out to end the 7th.

Yankee fans all over were in Holmes corner until the bottom of the 8th, when, after striking out Arozarena to start the inning, he coughed up a homer just fair down the rightfield line to Justin Turner for a 1-1 tie.

5. Weaver Great

Luke Weaver came in for Holmes and struck out the last 2 batters of the 8th, and struck out 2 more in a shutout 9th (pitching around a leadoff walk) — sending the game into extras.

6. Rizzo Comes Thru Again in 10th

To the 10th and Anthony Rizzo came through again — ripping a double off the very tough Collin Snider to lead off the inning and plate The Martian who was the inherited runner. NY 2 Seattle 1.

Snider held the Yanks down after the Rizzo double — Anthony Volpe popped up a bunt so failed to advance the runner; then Snider got a groundout and a fly out as the Yanks left the runner at 3rd.

7. Hamilton Nails It Down

To the bottom of the 10th — Ian Hamilton in to try to strand the inherited runner on 2nd. It didn’t look good immediately as Cal Raleigh blooped a leadoff single putting runners on 1st and 3rd with nobody out.

But Hamilton got Tough — striking out Arozarena on a 2-2 slider, the bat flying out of Arozarena’s hands down 3rd, where the runner Julio Rodriguez had to jump out of the way, stumbled, and was picked off by Austin Wells!

With a runner on 1st and 2 outs, Hamilton struck out Turner for the old ballgame.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401570747

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