Did the MLB sneak in a different baseball during the weekend?
Faced with a growing crisis of SUPER LOW batting averages, and games where everything has been a strikeout or a homerun possibly due to a ball that MOVES when thrown, and GOES when hit — MLB experienced a return of the Basehit during the weekend — with sky-high scores in a number of games across both leagues — including the 2nd straight Yankee slaughter of the Brewers in Milwaukee.
On Saturday, Tom Kosensky theorized that “Everyone started talking about scoring being down so Manfred mandated the super balls be thrown into the mix today. #Yankees: 15 runs; Red Sox: 17; Nationals: 11; Astros: 12. Heck, even the White Sox have 6.”
After beating Milwaukee on Sunday 15-3 while banging out 19 hits and 4 homers, NY won this one on Sunday 15-5, banging out 18 hits and 3 homers. Milwaukee banged out 11 hits, and knocked Marcus Stroman out of the game in the 5th — so he did not get the win.
“You know a little different today, but more really good at bats,” said manager Aaron Boone afterwards. “How much of that 7-run inning was with 2 outs? A lot of really good put-away at bats. Obviously Aaron gets us off with the HR to get us started, and a big homer by Volp. And to their credit they answered.”
NY improves to 19-10, and are in 1st place by themselves in the AL East as Baltimore lost. Milwaukee falls to 17-10.
1. Judge Puts Yanks Up with Homer in 1st
Milwaukee started Tobias Myers, a 25-year-old 6’1 righty who came in with a 0-1 1.80 record. Aaron Judge — who is getting HOT with 2 hits and a HR the game before — pounced.
Judge hit a BLAST to left field for his 6th homer of the year, and a 1-0 Yankee lead.
Judge Jolt πͺ pic.twitter.com/nIOF8XLtqJ
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 28, 2024
2. Volpe 3-Run HR in 5th Puts NY Up 4-0
Myers then settled down, retiring 10 of the next 11 Yankees — allowing only a 1-out double to Anthony Rizzo in the 2nd. But in the 5th he faced Rizzo again, and Rizzo ripped a single to lead off the inning.
A 1-out single by Oswaldo Cabrera followed, and with 2 outs, Anthony Volpe hit a CLUTCH homer to right for a 4-0 Yankee lead.
That's one way to celebrate your Birthday! @Volpe_Anthony π pic.twitter.com/lQB2FW8c6c
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 28, 2024
3. Stroman Knocked Out in 5th
But Stroman couldn’t hold it. He pitched shutout ball into the 5th, but in the 5th lost his command. He walked the leadoff batter, then allowed an infield single, RBI double to Willy Adames, and 3-run Homer to old friend Jake Bauers and it was a 4-4 tie game just like that.
Stroman then walked Gary Sanchez and was yanked at 88 pitches.
About Stroman, Boone said: “Just struggled with command. And as the game went on, lost his feel for the zone and where he wanted to go with things. Thought he was fairly sharp early, but just struggled a little bit with command and that’s ultimately what knocked him out of there.”
Ron Marinaccio came in and got foul out, groundout, walk, fly out to end the inning, leaving 2 on.
4. Yanks Put Up Crooked # 7 in 6th
The Brewers brought in Abner Uribe to pitch the 6th. He walked Aaron Judge leading off but then got Alex Verdugo to hit into a fielder’s choice groundout and Giancarlo Stanton to fly out.
With 2 outs, the game tied 4-4, and Verdugo on 1st — the red hot Anthony Rizzo walked, and Gleyber Torres got a CLUTCH single to center scoring Verdugo.
Go-ahead Gleyber π pic.twitter.com/uT7pjkWqOF
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 28, 2024
Oswaldo Cabrera walked and Jose Trevino hit a CLUTCH, 2-out RBI single for a 7-4 Yankee lead.
Trevi can pitch AND hit π pic.twitter.com/DL0W28Gwcb
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 28, 2024
The Brewers brought in Elvis Peguero to pitch. First thing he did was throw a wild pitch to score Cabrera. Then Anthony Volpe worked a walk, and Juan Soto hit a CLUTCH 2-out RBI single for a 9-4 Yankee lead.
Another Juan βοΈ pic.twitter.com/Mhd6aHGBs2
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 28, 2024
Soto stole 2nd and Aaron Judge hit a CLUTCH, 2-out RBI single scoring Soto and Volpe. NY 11 Milwaukee 4.
Playin' the hits π΅ pic.twitter.com/ENDqaqjrN2
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 28, 2024
5. Hamilton Coughs Up 2 Runs in 6th
Not so pleasant news for the Yanks — or maybe it was just the baseball — but Ian Hamilton didn’t have it. Marinaccio got the 1st out of the bottom of the 6th, then yielded a double and left for Ian Hamilton.
Hamilton got a groundout, but then allowed a single to Jake Bauers, hit a batter, and walked in a run to make it 11-5, before getting a line out to end the inning.
6. Yanks Rat-a-Tat 2 Insurance Runs in 7th
The Brewers brought in Janson Junk to pitch the 7th. Junk throws a 94 MPH sinker and 4-seam fastball.
Giancarlo Stanton led off with a single, and the RED HOT Anthony Rizzo doubled to put 2nd and 3rd, nobody out.
Oswaldo Cabrera singled in a run and Jose Trevino hit a sac fly to make it 13-5 NY. Two key insurance runs in a game like this.
Waldo makes it a dozen π pic.twitter.com/XStrjQb2Oj
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 28, 2024
7. Tonkin Delivers in 7th & 8th
Michael Tonkin pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 7th for NY. Tonkin joined the team on Thursday — his 4th team this season and it’s only April — and the journeyman’s journeyman now seems a regular in the Yankee bullpen, like he’s been there forever.
8. Rizzo HR Makes It 15-5 in 8th
The Yanks poured it on against Junk’s junk in the top of the 8th — Judge led off with a single, Verdugo singled, Giancarlo hit into a double play, and the RED HOT Anthony Rizzo hit a BOMB to center for his 300th career homer. NY 15 Milwaukee 5.
3β£0β£0β£ HRs for #TeamRizzo πͺ pic.twitter.com/u7T0Kd1wsv
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 28, 2024
9. Caleb and Gonzalez Finish Up
Caleb Ferguson pitched a shutout 8th for NY.
Jake Bauers pitched the top of the 9th for Milwaukee. The Yanks loaded the bases on a single and two walks, but Verdugo flied out and Giancarlo popped out to end the inning.
The Yanks did not return the favor like they did the day before when they had Trevino pitch the 9th. Boone brought reliever Victor Gonzalez in, and he allowed a 1-out walk and a single, but then a strike out and foul out for the old ballgame.
Etcetera
- Judge went 3-4 to raise his average off the Interstate, to .211.
- Torres, who just came off the Interstate on Saturday, went 2-5 to raise his average to .218.
- Rizzo went 4-4 to raise his average to .277.
- Volpe went 2-4 to raise his average to .282.
- Trevino went 2-4 to raise his average to .280.
- Oswaldo went 2-4 to raise his average to .269.
The Boxscore
https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401568891
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