Yankee Stadium Hosts Yanks and Guardians in 1st game of Big Series
Yankee Stadium hosted a first-place battle as the Yankees took on the Cleveland Guardians in the first game of a three-game series. The Yankees were feeling good with ace Carlos Rodon starting the game for them. These feelings proved justified as the Yankees earned a victory at Yankee Stadium, 3-2. The Yankees needed to win this game, following their trips to the West Coast, at their home stadium, Yankee Stadium. Do you think it is important to win home games in baseball?
Lineups For Yankee Stadium Tilt Between the Yankees and Guardians
The Cleveland Guardians had Steven Kwan as the left fielder, batting leadoff. Angel Martinez was the center fielder batting second. Jose Ramirez was the third baseman, batting third. David Fry was the designated hitter, batting fourth. Kyle Manzardo pinch hit for him in the ninth inning. This was Fry’s first game of the year.
Carlos Santana was the first baseman, batting fifth. Gabriel Arias was the shortstop and batted sixth. Will Wilson was the second baseman and batted seventh. Daniel Schneemann pinch-hit for him in the ninth inning. Bo Naylor was the catcher and batted eighth. Jhonkensy Noel was the right fielder and batted ninth. Nolan Jones pinch-hit for him in the eighth inning, and he stayed in to play right field.
For the Yankees, Trent Grisham batted first and was the center fielder. Ben Rice was the designated hitter and batted second. Aaron Judge batted third and was the right fielder. Cody Bellinger was the left fielder and batted fourth. Paul Goldschmidt was the first baseman and batted fifth. Jazz Chisolm Jr. was back as the third baseman and batted sixth. Anthony Volpe was the shortstop and batted seventh. JC Escarra was the catcher and batted eighth. DJ LeMeheiau was the second baseman, batting ninth.
The Weather
The weather at Yankee Stadium is not often good for baseball, but it was tonight. It was about 70 degrees Fahrenheit and clear—rare great weather for baseball in the Bronx. There was, however, an air quality alert due to Canadian wildfires.
Game Story
Before this game, the Yankees made a number of roster moves due to injuries that will affect the roster of Yankee players who play at Yankee Stadium. Yankee closer Luke Weaver went on the injured list. Jazz Chisolm Jr. and Fernando Cruz both will be back from injuries tonight. In corresponding roster moves, the Yankees optioned infielder Jorbit Vivas to Triple-A and designated right-hander Carlos Carrasco for assignment.
Aaron Judge was named American League Player of the Month for May. That is not that surprising, as he put up otherworldly numbers. Judge led all qualified hitters with a 1.251 on-base plus slugging, with a .364 batting average, a .453 slugging percentage, and a .798 on-base plus slugging average. He blasted eleven home runs. In just twenty-six games, he accumulated 2.2 wins above replacement, which measures how much better he is than an average player.
Finally, a significant story in this game was the number of strikeouts the two starting pitchers had. Both Carlos Rodon and Tanner Bibee were great. Combined, they did not allow a run until the Yankees scored in the bottom of the fifth inning to take a 1-0 lead, but the Yankees left the bases loaded in that inning, maybe leaving runs on the board. Rodon and Bibee struck out a combined 14 batters.
Scoring Summary
In the fifth inning, LeMahieu singled and Chisolm scored. That made the score 1-0 in favor of the Yankees. In this supreme pitchers’ duel.In the seventh inning, Fry singled and Ramirez scored. He stole second base to get into scoring position. The game was tied at 1.
In the seventh inning, Chisolm and Volpe both hit solo home runs. The Yankees took a 3-1 lead. Bibee has now given up 14 home runs, though Chisolm’s home run was a Yankee Stadium home run. In the ninth inning, Daniel Schneemann singled and Carlos Santana scored. That cut the Yankee lead to 3-2.
Conclusion
The Yankees needed to win this game and capitalize on their homestand at Yankee Stadium. It is also important for them not to overlook this series against the Cleveland Guardians in favor of the upcoming series against the rival Boston Red Sox, which will also be at Yankee Stadium.
