Tanaka sharp, offense just enough in win over Halos
In the final game of a Memorial Day series against Los Angeles, the Yankees were able to take two of three from Mike Trout and the Angels. Thanks to a strong outing by Masahiro Tanaka and just enough offensive output, the Bombers clinched the series against the Halos following this afternoon's 3-1 victory.
The Yankees are now 9-1 in their past ten series, an impressive record considering the quality of teams faced during the hot streak.
Tanaka shut down his Japanese counterpart Shohei Ohtani, as the rookie struck out twice and did not record a hit against the Yankee starter.
The 29-year-old only surrendered a solo home run to Andrelton Simmons in the sixth, the only blemish on an otherwise fine outing from Tanaka. His final line: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 SO, 104 pitches, 64 strikes.
Offensively, the Yankees scored all three runs in the third inning. Since the long ball was nowhere to be found, the Bombers scored their runs in a different fashion.
With the bases loaded in the home half of the third, Garrett Richards walked Aaron Hicks which allowed Aaron Judge to score the first run of the game.
With the bases still juiced, Richards plunked Greg Bird and allowed Gary Sanchez to score the the second run of the ballgame. In his second game back, Bird managed to pick up his first hit of the season.
Miguel Andújar was responsible for the team's third and final run of the afternoon after grounding into a force play to the left side of the infield, scoring Didi Gregorius.
HIGHLIGHTS
As previously noted, the Yankee offense did not exactly light up the scoreboard against the Halos today. Instead, they relied on the combo of solid pitching and small ball to get the job done. As a result, the highlights from this particular ballgame were few and far between.
Tanaka got the best of Ohtani in their first MLB matchup as he retired the rookie with a nasty 3-2 splitter.
https://twitter.com/YESNetwork/status/1000789756219817984
Greg Bird's first hit of the season in his second game of 2018
https://twitter.com/YESNetwork/status/1000799053691662337
Lastly, Aroldis Chapman recorded the final out to seal the game and series win
https://twitter.com/YESNetwork/status/1000839516976955392
OTHER NOTES
As Brian Hoch pointed out on Twitter, Aaron Judge's 119.9 mph single was the hardest-hit ball in MLB this season.
https://twitter.com/BryanHoch/status/1000803865200091136
NEXT UP
Tomorrow vs. Houston: 1:05 pm EST
Domingo Germán (0-2, 5.59) vs. Justin Verlander (6-2, 1.08)