Didi Gregorius and the New York Yankees bounced back from a rough series in Oakland in a big way, destroying the Los Angeles Dodgers 10-2.
- New York Yankees 10 (84-46)
- Los Angeles Dodgers 2 (85-45)
- MLB, Final, Box Score
- Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
While my mind may still be trapped on the desolate planet known as “California,” I rest easy having escaped the clutches of the drums and vuvuzelas. This southern portion of the planet is a much kinder atmosphere. Even though I’m appalled by the ugliness of the Players’ Weekend spacesuits, the New York Yankees seem to be very comfortable in them.
Bouncing back from the wrong end of a sweep, the Yankees beat the class of the National League by the score of 9-2.
Everything went right for the Yankees on Friday. James Paxton tossed an absolute gem. He tossed 6.2 innings, allowing only two runs and punching out 11. Since increasing the usage of his knucklecurve, Paxton has finally looked like the ace Brian Cashman was looking for.
Paxton’s strong start is indicative that he has this kind of dominant potential in his grasp. Obviously, the Yankees biggest concern this season has been the starting pitching and whether they have enough to play deep into October. Certainly, Paxton’s ability to tap into that dominance will play a key roll in the answer to that question.
With Paxton setting a strong tone, the Yankees offense ran wild. Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez hit solo homers in the third inning to open the scoring.
BIG fly for Big Aaron Judge. #PlayersWeekend pic.twitter.com/aorUaODhRJ
— MLB (@MLB) August 24, 2019
https://twitter.com/mrevandaniel/status/1165097655321681921?s=20
Sanchez’s shot marked the 100th of his career, making him the second-fastest to 100 home runs in major league history.
Gary Sanchez: 100th career HR in 355th career game.
Only player in MLB history to reach 100 HR quicker was Ryan Howard (325 games)
— Katie Sharp (@ktsharp) August 24, 2019
However, it wasn’t until the fifth inning that the Yankees blew the doors off. Didi Gregorius exploded for his fifth-career grand-slam.
Didi Gregorius makes it a grand trip to the West Coast for the Yankees ?
(via @Yankees)pic.twitter.com/Cskq24ozEu
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 24, 2019
Following that, Brett Gardner hit an RBI double to score Gio Urshela, bringing in the fifth run of the inning.
https://twitter.com/alex59995309/status/1165111532407205888?s=20
Of course, the Yankees offense didn’t stop there. Gleyber Torres hit his 32nd home run of the season in the sixth inning.
Gleyber Torres is unreal pic.twitter.com/WmxpGu4sCT
— Baseball Bros (@BaseballBros) August 24, 2019
Later in the game, Judge ripped a single to score Mike Ford.
https://twitter.com/KyleNYY/status/1165126385628831745?s=20
Oh, and then Didi went yard again in the ninth.
"Yeeees In-Didi. Didi hits his second of the night!" pic.twitter.com/hqFdA1Psry
— John Sterling Calls (@JSterlingCalls) August 24, 2019
Savage of the Game - Didi Gregorius
Didi accounted for half of the RBI in Friday’s game. He hit a grand slam in the fifth and a solo shot in the ninth. Obviously, that’s savage.
