In a role reversal of a late-season sweep last season, the New York Yankees unleashed a cathartic four-game series sweep to bury the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. This club is on a mission and appears to have hunkered down since the trade deadline, now riding a five-game winning streak. In their last 17 series’ at The House That Mariano Made, the Bronx Bombers boast a ledger of 15-0-2.
GAME 1
That was about as crisp and concise a victory as one would want. Everything was decided in the first frame. The pinstripes pitching stepped up and were economical. DJ LeMahieu and Brett Gardner helped bring some stability back to the lineup. Plus, one big swing of the bat provided the Bronx Bombers with a grand 4-2 win.
PAX PULLS BACK
While the Yankees needed to add a starter at the trade deadline, they’re not going to advance far unless guys like James Paxton step up. The lanky lefty took a step back in a positive way, slowed down his approach by throwing 19 curveballs. Not allowing a leadoff home run was a step in the right direction, although his first-inning woes continued by surrendering a two-run tater to left to J.D. Martinez.
Yet, Paxton settled in, only yielding one more hit and three walks along the way in his six strong frames, fanning six.
GLEYBER GRAND
Facing Eduardo Rodriguez in the home half of the first inning, LeMahieu set the tone with a single to left. Consecutive walks by Aaron Judge and Edwin Encarnacion loaded the bases. After a pop-out by Aaron Hicks, Gleyber Torres crushed a rocket grand slam to left off a first-pitch fastball, providing the Bronx Bombers with a 4-2 advantage.
SMOKED!! #SAVAGE HR call by @RyanRuocco too!!
— Bronx Pinstripes (@BronxPinstripes) August 2, 2019
ECONOMICAL BULLPEN
The fresh New York bullpen made fast work of the Bosox lineup. Tommy Kahnle allowed one hit, fanned one and retired the Red Sox on an entertaining barehanded snare and throw to first on 15 pitches. Zack Britton needed eight pitches on a flawless three ground out eighth inning. Aroldis Chapman enjoyed a flawless drama-free nine-pitch ninth inning.
GAME 2
Earning victory No. 70, the Yankees shredded Chris Sale and the Red Sox like a Sale throwback Chicago White Sox jersey. LeMahieu and Gardner once again racked up the hits. Domingo German was on fire and helped the Yankees to a 9-2 win.
SABADO DOMINGO
German was even more dominant than he looked last Sunday. His seven solid innings marked the longest outing on his young career. German had a sound mix of pitches with his fastball, curveball, and changeup on display, fanning seven. A solo home run to deep right by Andrew Benintendi in the second and a porch shot by Jackie Bradley Jr. in the fifth was among the blips on the screen.
Finishing off the Red Sox was Jonathan Holder and his two flawless frames and three strikeouts in his best outing in quite some time.
POWER HITTING FIRST BASEMAN LEMAHIEU
Raise your hand if you had LeMahieu as the power-hitting leadoff-man first baseman in August. Sure enough, LeMahieu set the table by homering into the bullpen in the right-center in the first frame.
During the second stanza, next man up at second base, Breyvic Valera, helped the pinstripes regain the lead with a bases-loaded, RBI-single to right. Gardner followed with one of his three hits on the afternoon with a two-run single to center. The ensuing batter LeMahieu porched a three-run homer to right for his second on the afternoon.
A ground-rule double by Judge would end Sale’s day.
Facing Colten Brewer, Encarnacion plated Judge on a single to left. Encarnacion would cap off the New York scoring in the sixth by plating Gardner on an RBI-single to left.
Unfortunately, those may have been the final salvos on the season as the parrot was plunked in the eighth and suffered a right wrist fracture.
GAME 3
The Yankees, as they so often have done this season, swept the double-dip. After the loss of Encarnacion, they stepped up again but also suffered the loss of Hicks with an elbow injury in the nightcap. Navigating through a dual bullpen game, Torres and Mike Tauchman helped the Yanks override the Sawx 6-4.
TORRES TATER
After Nestor Cortes Jr. surrendered a two-run homer to Rafael Devers in the third, Torres helped the Bronx Bombers climb back in the home half.
Torres clocked a solo shot to left-center off Brian Johnson.
New York would claim the lead on a two-run double to left by Cameron Maybin.
2-run double by Cameron Maybin puts the #Yankees on top 3-2! đŠč#YANKSonYES pic.twitter.com/NSoJYb3S0l
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) August 4, 2019
OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GLEYBS
Following a Mookie Betts two-run single to left during the fourth off Chance Adams to give Boston a 4-3 edge.
Yet, in the fifth, Torres helped the Yanks climb back again. The Yanks shortstop blasted a solo shot to left off Josh Taylor. In doing so, Torres joined Joe DiMaggio as the only Yankees to register five multi-homer games before turning 23.
Two tonight. Three this weekend. 23 in 2019 đđŒ pic.twitter.com/B6XVG4sIju
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 4, 2019
WALK LIKE A MAN, TAUCH LIKE A MAN
Facing Matt Barnes in the seventh, the pinstripes went to work. Torres set the tone and nearly missed a third home run with a double to right. Hicks coaxed a walk. Gio Urshela posted a brilliant 10-pitch walk. With one down, Tauchman sliced a two-run single to left, providing the pinstripes a 6-4 advantage.
Mike Tauchman with the 2-run single!#YANKSonYES pic.twitter.com/0e2OsF7cF6
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) August 4, 2019
GAME 4
From the start, it felt like a coronation. Aside from Torres leaving the game late and Urshela fouling the ball off each leg in the same at-bat, it was a fun night in the Bronx. The Bronx Bombers turned David Price back into a punching bag in a 7-4 victory for the sweep.
JOLTIN’ JUDGE
Judge, who may still be favoring his oblique strain, rediscovered his power stroke in the first frame. In the DH slot, he parked a 389-foot solo smash to right, providing the pinstripes a 1-0 edge.
The Judge with an opening statement. #AllRise pic.twitter.com/LpQceNdeym
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 5, 2019
GIO MAKES IT 3-0
With Judge on in the third, Urshela crushed a two-run bomb into the bullpen in left-center.
Nuthin' but a Gio Thang. pic.twitter.com/8ZgGEJfyq5
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 5, 2019
Gardner continued the two-out rally with a double to right. Maybin traded placed with an RBI-double to left. Mike Ford kept the line moving with an RBI-single to center. Capping off the offensive output was a two-run single to right by Tauchman.
J.A. OK
New papa J.A. Happ was mostly cruising early. Happ gave the Yankees 5.2 frames, scattering seven hits, yielding four runs, one walk and fanning two. The first four innings were mostly a cakewalk but in the fifth, Christian Vazquez and Chavis clocked consecutive home runs and a two-run single by Benintendi did in Happ during the sixth.
SIX-CESSFUL RELIEF
Luis Cessa was able to hold the Bosox at bay, fanning Chavis with two on and two down in the sixth. Cessa fanned three in 2.1 flawless frames. Green sealed the deal with a scoreless ninth.
ON DECK
At 72-39, the Yankees head to Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore to face the Baltimore Orioles for a three-game series starting Monday evening.
Pitching probables, Masahiro Tanaka vs. Gabriel Ynoa, TBD vs. Asher Wojciechowski, James Paxton vs. John Means.
