Spencer Jones Paces Yankee Attack. NY 7 LA Angels 3

September 2, 2026 paperbacklou 2026 0
Spencer Jones hits 2-run HR in 1st to give NY a 2-0 lead.

Spencer Jones put the Yankees on top with a 2-run HR in the 1st inning, and went 2 for 3 with 2 walks, 3 RBI’s and 2 runs scored to lead the NY attack in a 7-3 win over the Angels on a Tuesday night in Los Angeles.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a HR right behind Spencer in the 1st, and went 3 for 5, and Cody Bellinger went 3 for 5 as well as the Yanks banged out 14 hits against Grayson Rodriguez and the LA bullpen.

Gerrit Cole started for the Yanks and gave them a solid start — 5.1 innings allowing 8 hits and 3 runs — to get the win and go 8-7 3.29 on the season. He left with a runner on 3rd and 1 out in a 4-3 game and Brent Headrick came in to save his win — getting a strikeout and line out to strand the runner. Headrick, Paul Blackburn, and new Yankee John Schreiber — who NY just picked up off waivers by KC — took it from there with shutout ball from the 7th thru the 9th.

“I love playing for Gerrit,” said Spencer Jones afterwards. “It’s fun playing for a fellow Californian in California; we bond over that. It’s fun playing together especially today near where he grew up. I was rooting for him all night and he did a good job.”

“I thought Gerrit was really good,” said manager Aaron Boone afterwards. “I thought they had a lot of good at bats against him — they did a good job over there — even all the way to the end with (Christian) Moore — I thought he made the pitch he wanted to; Moore is able to get to it and put it down the line to chase him. But I Gerrit was sharp; his stuff was really good — maybe the best slider he’s had all year.”

NY improves to 79-60, and remain 4.5 behind Tampa but move back to 4 games over Boston. LA falls to 53-86.

1. Spencer & Jazz Go Back-to-Back in 1st

Grayson Rodriguez started the game by striking out Ben Rice on 3 pitches — all 96-MPH four-seam fastballs. Cody Bellinger then took a four-seam fastball for a strike before belting an 83-MPH curveball for a single.

Luis Garcia Jr. flied out but Spencer Jones worked the count 3-1 and hit a 97-MPH four-seam fastball for a 398-foot HR to center and 2-0 Yankee lead.

Next batter Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a 2-2, 98-MPH fastball for a HR to right and NY was up 3-0.

2. Rice & Bellinger Singles Lead to 4-0 Yank Lead in 3rd

Grayson Rodriguez pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 2nd, but the Yanks got to him again the 2nd time thru the order in the 3rd.

Ben Rice this time ripped an 83-MPH changeup for a single to right, and Cody Bellinger singled to center putting runners on 1st and 3rd.

Luis Garcia Jr. hit into a doubleplay but Rice scored from 3rd for a 4-0 Yankee lead.

3. Cole Takes 4-1 Lead into 6th

Meanwhile Gerrit Cole was looking good — allowing a double to Zach Neto to start the game but then getting 3 straight outs (including 2 strikeouts) to end the 1st, and then pitch a shutout 2nd.

Neto got him again for a 1-out single in the 3rd, then stole 2nd, and scored on a 2-out single by Meckler for a 4-1 game. Meckler was thrown out trying to leg the single into a double to end the inning.

Cole then pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 4th, and pitched around consecutive 1-out singles in the 5th by striking out Zach Neto and getting Mike Trout to ground out.

So it was a 4-1 game into the 6th when Cole tired — allowing a leadoff single to leftfielder Wade Meckler, a 1-out single to DH Moises Ballesteros, and a 2-RBI triple to 2nd baseman Christian Moore to make it a 4-3 game.

4. Headrick Saves Cole — Keeps the Tying Run at 3rd

In came Brent Headrick with the runner on 3rd and only 1 out — the Yanks and Cole hanging onto a 4-3 lead by their fingernails.

And Headrick proceeded to strike out pinch hitter Jose Siri, and get former Yank Oswald Peraza to line out to right to end the inning with NY still up 4-3.

5. Grisham RBI Single & Goldy Clutch Sac Fly Make It 6-3 in 8th

Spencer Jones was at it again in the 8th — walking to lead off the inning against 6’4 lefty reliever Samy Natera Jr. Next batter Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled to left, and Trent Grisham followed with an RBI single to left to give NY breathing space at 5-3.

Ryan McMahon reached on a bunt single to load the bases with nobody out — but Jose Caballero struck out. Natera then threw four straight 97-MPH four-seam fastballs to Paul Goldschmidt — the first 2 for strikes, the next fouled off by Goldy, and the fourth hit to left for a CLUTCH sac fly and 6-3 Yankee lead.

6. Spencer RBI Single in 9th

Spencer Jones was at it again in the top of the 9th.

Cody Bellinger and Luis Garcia Jr. led off the inning with consecutive singles against 6’1 lefty reliever Sammy Peralta, and Spencer Jones singled to left for a run and 7-3 Yankee lead.

7. Blackburn & Schreiber Close It

After getting the Huge final outs of the 6th to strand the tying run on 3rd, Headrick got the first 2 outs of the 7th before handing the baton to Paul Blackburn who got righty Mike Trout to end the inning.

Blackburn then pitched a shutout 8th — allowing a leadoff single but then striking out a batter and getting a doubleplay.

New Yankee John Schreiber pitched the 9th. Shreiber is a 32-year-old, 6’2 righty whom NY picked up off waivers by Kansas City earlier in the week. He came up with Detroit and had some successful years as a reliever with Boston and then KC.

Schreiber threw 94-MPH fastballs, 93-MPH sinkers, and 81-MPH sweepers in a 10-pitch at bat to Moore before getting him to fly out to start the 9th. He then did the same in a 9-pitch at bat to Siri before getting him to fly out to right.

Finally he threw two 89-MPH cutters to Frazier — getting him to line the 2nd one to right for the old ballgame.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401816770

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