The New York Yankees beat the Chicago White Sox 4-0 behind a strong return for CC Sabathia and some solid defense.
It feels like seven years since the last time the New York Yankees won a baseball game. To be fair though, it has been almost a full week since their last win in Baltimore on Sunday. There are a lot of positives from Saturday’s game so we’ll jump right in with the big guy.
CC Sabathia is back
The big man is back and he’s here to right the ship. The veteran lefty made his first start of the season, tossing five scoreless innings and allowing only one hit.
At last, a Yankee starter finally turned in a good start. It’s been a rough week for Yankees pitchers so it was nice to see a big donut hole go up on the final scoreboard.
Saturday was a huge win for Sabathia personally as well. The big man is coming off a tough offseason during which, and I can not stress this enough, he almost died. It is fantastic to see him succeeding on the mound after an offseason heart surgery.
Sabathia’s presence on the mound and in the locker room could be exactly what the Yankees need to right the pitching ship.
Here’s JA Happ asking CC how he was able to paint the corners so well. pic.twitter.com/0CpLdjjc8o
— Jomboy (@Jomboy_) April 13, 2019
The offense starts rolling late
The Yankees offense has felt stagnant lately and Saturday was no different. Former Yankee Ivan Nova threw six strong innings against his old team. After running Nova from the game, the Yankees broke out in the seventh inning for three runs, which was all they needed to come away with the win.
The biggest source of production for the offense came from the bottom of the order. Following a costly error by White Sox second baseman Yolmer Sanchez, the Yankees managed to put up three runs in the seventh. Luke Voit hit a bases-loaded single followed by a Kyle Higashioka sacrifice fly to give the Yanks a 2-0 lead.
PINCH HIT RBI BROKEN BAT SINGLE FOR LUKE VOIT
THEY'RE NOT BOOING THEY'RE LUKE-ING pic.twitter.com/0oPtJm4n8L
— David Mendelsohn (@BigBabyDavid_) April 13, 2019
Kyle Higashioka nearly broke this game wide open, but it's a sac fly and an RBI for him. #Yankees up two. pic.twitter.com/TxLoVl3P6t
— Tom Hanslin (@TomHanslin) April 13, 2019
The best play of the game came on a Tyler Wade safety squeeze scoring Clint Frazier for the third run. This play signified a willingness by the Yankees to play small ball to scrape a run across if the situation calls for it.
??SAFETY SQUEEZE ALERT?? pic.twitter.com/BB7XKYAMuv
— David Mendelsohn (@BigBabyDavid_) April 13, 2019
Aaron Judge hit a solo home run in the eighth inning for a much-needed insurance run.
Judge. Opposite. #PinstripePride pic.twitter.com/h50ZRThBNQ
— ESNY (@EliteSportsNY) April 13, 2019
Bullpen locks it down
The Yankees bullpen was key in securing Saturday’s win due to Sabathia’s pitch count limits. Domingo German pitched two scoreless innings with four strikeouts. His first appearance out of the bullpen this season, he continued his dominant start to the season.
Zack Britton righted the ship after a rough series in Houston, throwing a scoreless frame with one strikeout.
Aroldis Chapman closed the game out with a clean inning and a strikeout. The Yankees closer’s velocity was up to 100 mph with good control.
The team’s bullpen needs to step up their performance as a whole going forward. While missing ace Luis Severino, relievers will be utilized in the middle innings nearly every day.
This team needs guys like Adam Ottavino, Chad Green, and Jonathan Holder on their A-games. Their success bridging the gap from the fifth inning to Britton and Chapman in the ninth is the key to success.
