After starting the 2017 Major League Baseball season on a surprisingly good note, the New York Yankees are now one of the top teams in the american league, and it's all thanks to stellar performances from their new, younger players. At 13-7, they were one game behind the Baltimore Orioles in the AL east. With a game that looked seemingly on the line, the Yankees looked destined to win the first of a three game series against the Orioles at Yankee Stadium on Friday.
A New Team
Beginning last season, the Yankees started to turn to their young prospects in the farm system, calling up players like outfielder Aaron Judge, who homered in his first at-bat, and so far this season is batting .282 with nine home runs and 18 RBI's, and catcher Gary Sanchez, who hit 20 homers with 42 RBI's in only 53 games, finishing second in voting for AL rookie of the year.
The Yankees also have the additions of pitcher Luis Severino and Dellin Betances. The new team of young players have been coined the nickname "baby bombers," because of their home run power and Yankee fans are hopeful that this core of young players will fill in the shoes that needed to be filled after the retirement of core four players Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettite, and Mariano Rivera, and bring home another world series championship.
So far this season, the Yankees have been playing the best baseball they have played in a long time, even going on an eight game winning streak between April 9-17. Besides Judge, the Yankees have plate power from second baseman Starlin Castro, who's batting .361 with five home runs and 16 RBI's and strong pitching on the mound from starter Michael Pineda, who is 2-1, with a 3.86 ERA , ten earned runs, and 29 strikeouts, along with closer Aroldis Chapman, who has five saves in nine appearances and has a blazing fastball that tops over 100 mph.
If the Yankees won the first game of the series, they would be tied for first place in the AL east.
The Game
Yankees starter CC Sabathia was handed the ball to start The Game against Orioles starter Kevin Gausman. The game started off good for both teams as they each went scoreless through the first two innings, but in the top of the third, after giving up a single and a walk, Sabathia gave up a double to third baseman Manny Machado that drove in two runs and gave the Orioles a 2-0 lead.
The Orioles would add to their lead with two more home runs from catcher Wellington Castillo and Machado respectively. In the bottom of the fifth inning however, the Yankees got their first run on the board as Judge smashed a deep shot to left field. However, by the next inning, the Orioles chances of winning the game got stronger as designated hitter Mark Trumbo hit a grand slam off Yankee reliever Bryan Mitchell to go up by eight.
All was not quiet for too long when Judge, with a runner on first, launched another ball to center field for his second of the night and to bring the Yankees within five. After the Orioles extended their lead 11-4 on a two run single from second baseman Jonathan Schoop. In the bottom of the seventh, things started to go right for the Yankees when with one out and the bases loaded, center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury hit a grand slam that sent the crowd into a frenzy. In the bottom of the ninth, Castro stunned everyone, hitting a two run blast that tied the game to send it into extra innings. After the Orioles failed to score in the top of the tenth, the Yankees sealed the deal and won the game 14-11 on a three run shot from designated hitter Matt Holliday. With the win, the Yankees are on 14-7 and share the lead for first place. The second game of the series takes place on Saturday at 1:05 pm.
