The New York Yankees spotted the Texas Rangers three runs before the second inning started, then beat them 7-4 anyway. That's kind of what 25-11 teams do.
Jacob deGrom was pitching for Texas and looked good early -- 97-98 fastball, sharp breaks, the full arsenal. It didn't hold past the sixth.
The First Inning Was a Mess
Elmer Rodríguez gave up two walks, let Josh Jung single two runners into scoring position, and then watched a Joc Pederson sac fly and an Ezequiel Duran single push home the first two runs before a third run crossing the plate during Danny Jansen's at-bat to make it 3-0. Three runs, two hits, four Rangers left feeling pretty good about themselves. (Rangers 3, Yankees 0. Elmer's going to have to be sharper than that if he wants to keep this rotation spot.)
He wasn't much better after that -- four walks total in 4.2 innings -- but the Yankees started hitting back.
McMahon Tied It
Cody Bellinger doubled in the first to score Aaron Judge and cut it to 3-1. Then in the second, Ryan McMahon put one in the seats:
Two-run shot, his third of the year, 359 feet to right center at 97.3 mph. Tied at 3-3. deGrom had turned a three-run lead into an even game before the third inning started.
The teams traded zeros for three more innings. deGrom was dealing -- seven strikeouts on the night -- and the game felt delicate. When Rodríguez hit his limit in the fifth, he left with the bases loaded and two outs.
Brent Headrick walked in, struck out the pinch hitter, and walked off. (He's inherited 13 runners this season. None of them have scored. At this point it's a thing.) Headrick threw a clean sixth and picked up his second win of the year.
Jazz Makes His Move in the Sixth
Full count. deGrom threw 98 mph. Jazz Chisholm Jr. didn't miss.
413 feet to the right-center seats. 110.9 mph off the bat. His fourth homer of the year, his second career shot off deGrom, and the go-ahead run to make it 4-3.
That was the game.
Bellinger and Goldy Wrapped It Up
Bellinger doubled again in the seventh off Jalen Beeks, scoring McMahon and José Caballero to push it to 6-3. Three RBI on two doubles for him on the night -- the quiet kind of game that makes a lineup dangerous because it doesn't require anything spectacular to be effective.
Paul Goldschmidt hit a solo shot in the eighth off Tyler Alexander -- his second of the year, 366 feet to right center -- and David Bednar closed it out for his 10th save. Bednar gave up one run on a Jake Burger groundout in the ninth, but the final was 7-4 and it wasn't tense.
deGrom fell to 2-2. He gave up 6 earned runs in 6.1 innings and surrendered both the tying and go-ahead home runs. The fastball was still there. The results weren't where they needed to be.
The Pen Held
After Headrick's escape act in the fifth, Tim Hill, Fernando Cruz, and Bednar combined to throw three innings and allow one run. The decision to pull Rodríguez at 4.2 innings was obvious -- four walks makes it easy -- and Headrick made it look correct the moment he got to the mound.
Game 2 of the series is Wednesday. The Yankees are 25-11, 1.5 games clear of Tampa Bay, winners of five in a row. If this is what May looks like, the division race might be shorter than anyone expected.
Jimmy writes the Bronx Pinstripes game recap after every Yankees game. Beat-reporter pacing, fan's heartbeat. He calls opposing players by last name and has no patience for dead-air innings.
