Series Recap: Yankees reach 50 wins with sweep of M's
In a benchmark series of East meets West, the New York Yankees sent the Seattle Mariners packing with a three-game sweep. This series saw the Yankees beat the Mariners in every conceivable fashion, from a blowout to a comeback and a pair of one-run victories. The Mariners are probably thankful this is their last trip east of the Mississippi for the regular season. New York now has 50 wins on the season, halfway to 100, although I don't believe the Yankees plan on stopping at the century mark.
GAME 1
Back in the Bronx, the Yankees flexed their muscles at the plate and on the mound, handling the Mariners by a final count of 7-2.
POWERING TOWARD HISTORY
It was almost like the Bronx Bombers were taking aim at the 1997 M's single-season team home run record in one game against the 2018 M's.
Trailing 1-0 in the first, the Yankees snapped right back. Giancarlo Stanton continued his hot hitting and at home to boot, crushing a first-pitch curveball from Marco Gonzales. The blast landed in Monument Park and squared the contest at one.
During the fifth, the Bronx Bombers were back for more. Miguel Andujar reached down ala Juan Gonzalez and hooked a 2-2 curveball from Gonzales into the left-field seats.
Aaron Hicks also kept up his torrid hitting, sticking a first-pitch, two-run homer to left, making it 5-1. The home run was part of a three-hit evening for the Yanks center-fielder and leadoff man.
Aaron Judge, who hit the ball on the screws all night, lined an RBI-single to left off Nick Rumbelow in the seventh, increasing the New York lead to 6-2.
Gleyber Torres capped off the scoring during the eighth, clubbing a 0-1 fastball off Rumbelow to left in the eighth, making it 7-2 Yankees. Torres joined Judge with his 14th home run in 50 major-league games.
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DOMINGO DOMINANT
Domingo German was chucking heat, retiring 20 consecutive M's batters at one point. German helped pick up his defense in the first, escaping with yielding only a run and his only other blip on the radar was a solo home run to left by Nelson Cruz in the seventh.
German was electric, recording a ledger of nine K's, allowing two hits and zero walks. The seven frames marked a career-high for the rookie hurler and his third consecutive outing with nine-plus K's. German has fanned 28 in his past three outings.
GAME 2
This game gave me the 1998 vibes with this squad. Down 5-0 early, the Bronx Bombers rallied with a game-tying blast from Gary Sanchez and a walk-off bomb from Giancarlo Stanton in the ninth. This team doesn't quit and if those two are locked in and crushing the ball, good luck to you.
STANTON'S SIGNATURE SHOT
Yes, insert "True Yankee" remark here. In all seriousness, this moment had been building to a crescendo with the Yanks slugger. During the ninth, facing Ryan Cook, Stanton destroyed a 0-2 slider to left-center for the two-run walk-off blast.
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SANCHIE STRIKES BACK
After Sanchez got plunked by Juan Nicasio in the sixth, Jonathan Holder and the pinstripes reciprocated by hitting Mike Zunino in the eighth.
During the home half of the eighth, the Yankees backstop bashed a game-tying, two-run homer to left off a 1-1 cutter from Alex Colome.
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CHIPPING AWAY AND PIECING IT TOGETHER
Starting Jonathan Loaisiga and not getting much length, defensive help or much relief from Chasen Shreve, made for an early 5-0 hole.
Denard Span singled to center off Loaisiga in the fourth and Kyle Seager scored on a throwing error by Torres. Dee Gordon increased the M's lead to 3-0 with a two-run single to right against Shreve.
A Span sac fly to center made it 4-0 and a Ryon Healy RBI-single to left increased the lead to 5-0 in the fifth.
Yet, the Yankees would battle back in the home half of the fifth, Aaron Judge smashed a two-run single past short and into left, getting New York on the board.
Didi Gregorius' sac fly in the seventh, cut it to 5-3.
GAME 3
Going for the sweep with their ace on the bump, the Bronx Bombers busted out the big sticks and the broomsticks in a 4-3 victory over the Mariners.
WHACKS AT PAX
James Paxton has been the M's best starter thus far but even the dimensions of Yankee Stadium couldn't save the Seattle southpaw.
In the first, Clint Frazier set the table lining a base knock to right. Judge, the ensuing batter, crushed a full-count fastball to right-center, posting New York to a 2-0 advantage.
Later in the frame, a base knock by Torres was followed by a home run into the porch by Andujar, making it 4-0 Yankees. Andujar becomes the fifth Yankee in franchise history with 10 home runs prior to the All-Star break.
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It would've been 5-0 if Stanton hadn't been robbed by Mitch Haniger on a ball hit to straightaway center.
SEVY STEADY
Luis Severino didn't have to be dominant and pitched to the scoreboard. Sevy went 5.2 frames, fanning five, yielding three runs on eight hits and a walk.
Kyle Seager's two-run tater cut the Yankees lead in half in the second.
In the sixth, former Yankee Ben Gamel drove an RBI-single to center, cutting the New York lead to 4-3.
BULLPEN BEATS BACK PRESSURE
While the Mariners kept the Yankees on their heels, the bullpen slammed the door shut.
David Robertson, Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman combined for 3.1 scoreless innings, yielding only one hit and whiffing four.
ON DECK
At 50-22, the Yankees travel to Tampa and face the Tampa Bay Rays for a three-game series.
Pitching probables, CC Sabathia vs. Ryne Stanek, Sonny Gray vs. Wilmer Font, Domingo German vs. Blake Snell.