The long ball came at the right time for the New York Yankees, who snapped their two-game losing streak in a series-opening win against the Detroit Tigers.
- Detroit Tigers: 1
- New York Yankees: 3
- Winning Pitcher: Domingo German (1-0)
- Losing Pitcher: Tyson Ross (0-1)
- Save: Aroldis Chapman (1)
- Final, AL, Boxscore
- Yankees Stadium, Bronx, NY
Forget the opener; Domingo German didn’t need one on Monday night for the New York Yankees.
In what was scheduled to be the Yankees’ first test at using an opener, Domingo German pleasantly surprised the masses by putting together a solid and lengthy performance to help the Yankees snap their early two-game losing streak.
German’s five innings of work included seven strikeouts while he showcased some absolutely filthy pitches, making fans question why exactly they were unsure about him in the first place.
Oh, right. The walks. While German struck out seven, he still walked five Tigers in five innings. However, that can be overlooked when German only allowed one unearned run in his appearance.
Let’s dig a little deeper into what went down on this chilly Bronx night for the New York Yankees.
Homer Happy Bombers
After a pitiful weekend in the Bronx, the New York Yankees bounced back from their series loss against the lowly Baltimore Orioles by getting on the board with their use of the long ball.
After trading goose eggs in the first inning, the Yankees went on the offensive in the bottom of the second inning with Gary Sanchez going yard in his first at-bat of the day.
Say GOODBYE to that one! ?
Gary Sanchez crushes one 417 feet to put the Yankees on the board!
Watch LIVE: https://t.co/EhfqbEvj91 pic.twitter.com/mi4eN4A5iu
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) April 1, 2019
An absolute shot to almost dead center, this homer marked Sanchez’s second homer of the season and his second in his last three at-bats. It may be freezing out but it looks like Gary Sanchez is heating up.
While the second run came from some solid baserunning by Luke Voit on a Greg Bird single that was mishandled in left, the third run was a loud one. Brett Gardner, whose name we cannot type without referring to him as the longest-tenured Yankee, launched his first shot of the season to the right field bleachers.
BRETT GARDNER CAN STILL PLAY pic.twitter.com/0jsrXs6NM8
— David Mendelsohn (@BigBabyDavid_) April 2, 2019
Gardner’s solo shot marked his 97th of his career. And, of course, Gardner defenders came out in full force on Twitter to remind everyone that Gardy can still play.
Lack of outfielders? Brett Gardner thinks there are just enough.
Both home runs came off of former Yankee target Tyson Ross, who ended his five innings of work allowing three runs and four hits while striking out four.
If Aaron Judge isn’t hitting home runs, at least some of the other Yankees are stepping up. Right now, it’s Sanchez and Gardner and that proved to be more than enough for the Yankees.
April Fool’s?
Injuries have been piling up around the Yankees. Enough that Aaron Judge should start being wrapped up as tightly as possible in bubble wrap just as a precaution.
However, the Yankees had yet another scare during the fourth inning when Gleyber Torres was involved in a slight collision with Jordy Mercer who was trying to take second base on a wild pitch.
Gleyber Torres took a hard shot to the left hand/wrist on this tag attempt, appears to be OK in the dugout pic.twitter.com/1Fgo2OId1B
— A.J. Herrmann (@AJHerrmannYES) April 1, 2019
Torres came up from the collision cradling his left hand and massaging his thumb. Never a good sign for any player but with the luck of the Yankees as of late, it’s incredibly concerning.
Torres stayed in the game and made routine plays like he normally would but it’s definitely something to watch out for when it comes to the next few days.
German-imo!
As previously discussed, Domingo German put together a fantastic performance when he was dubbed to be an opener. German put the Yankees in the best position possible when he did what J.A. Happ couldn’t do on Sunday afternoon: keep the ball in the ballpark.
The 26-year-old didn’t have the best spring training for a player hoping to make the rotation with some openings available. However, he was able to silence the haters by turning in a gem.
Sure, there is room for improvement for the young righty who walked five batters. But he did exactly what the Yankees needed with their offense struggling.
Allowing no earned runs on 79 pitches, German faced 21 batters overall and handed the game off to the reliable bullpen to finish the job.
MVP?
At least the struggles on the offensive end aren’t causing problems on defense for Aaron Judge.
With two runners on and no outs, Adam Ottavino gave up a line shot to Niko Goodrum for what could have easily been a two-run double.
But Aaron Judge was manning right field so, naturally, he made a pretty spectacular play.
What a catch by @TheJudge44! ? pic.twitter.com/RDJR6CnVNo
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) April 2, 2019
What is most impressive is the fact that he had the wherewithal to turn that wrist to avoid what would be perhaps the most devastating injury for this Yankees team.
The diving snag saved two runs and helped Ottavino find his rhythm, as he retired the next two batters without any damage.
What’s Next
The New York Yankees face the Tigers at 6:35 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night. The Yankees will bring Masahiro Tanaka to the mound while the Tigers are relying on Jordan Zimmerman to bring the Yankees back down to Earth.
