Yankees Ride Five-Run Fifth to Victory Over Phillies
The New York Yankees established a season-high in runs scored as they defeated the Philadelphia Phillies, 8-1.
New York controlled the game from start to finish, grabbing a 2-0 lead in the first inning before breaking it open with a five-run fifth inning. The Phillies actually outhit the Yankees, 11-9, but clutch pitching from Nestor Cortes Jr. and the Yankee bullpen kept Philadelphia’s potent lineup in check.
The Phillies left nine runners on base, went only 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position, and recorded zero walks. The Yankees didn’t fare much better, leaving 10 runners on base while going 4-for-13 with RISP, but had four extra-base hits (a double, a triple, and two home runs) to Philadelphia’s two (both doubles), and drew nine walks.
Cortes pitched five innings in his first start of the year, and had to navigate through traffic on the base paths en route to a win. He allowed seven hits, but gave up just one run and ended a Phillies rally with a key play on defense.
After Cortes retired the side in the top of the first, the Bronx Bombers went to work against Phillies starter Taijuan Walker. DJ LeMahieu led off with a hard liner to center field; Phillies center fielder Brandon Marsh misplayed the ball and let it roll past him, allowing LeMahieu to stretch what should have been a single into a triple.
Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo followed with walks to load the bases, and Giancarlo Stanton’s soft groundout allowed LeMahieu to score. Gleyber Torres then followed with an infield single to drive in Judge, making it 2-0 Yankees. Walker would ultimately limit the damage, but New York now had a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Cortes escaped a two-on, one-out jam in the second, while Torres extended New York’s lead in the third. In a seven-pitch battle, the Yankees’ second baseman deposited a ball into the short porch for his second homer of the season. It was the 100th home run of Torres’ career.
The Phillies scored their only run of the game in the fourth inning, when Alec Bohm hit a one-out double, advanced to third on a hard line out to Rizzo, and scored on a single by Edmundo Sosa. However, they nearly made it a one-run game in the top of the fifth inning. Marsh led off with a double to left; Cortes retired Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber before allowing a single to J.T. Realmuto. Right fielder Franchy Cordero overthrew Jose Trevino at home plate, but Cortes backed up the throw perfectly and caught Marsh making a wide turn at third; Cortes then threw over to LeMahieu, who slapped the tag on Marsh to end the inning.
In the bottom of the inning, the Bronx Bombers broke the game open against reliever Yunior Marte. With LeMahieu on first and one out, Rizzo crushed a two-run shot into the second deck in right field for his first homer of the season. Stanton and Torres followed with walks before Cordero picked up his first hit as a Yankee, slashing a two-run double into the right-center field gap. After the second out, Trevino capped off the inning with an RBI single to score Cordero. The Yankees wouldn’t score again, but the damage was more than enough.
Ian Hamilton made his Yankees debut in the sixth inning, and displayed a nasty slider-changeup hybrid in 1.2 innings of work. He got into a jam in the seventh after allowing one-out singles to Marsh and Turner, but concluded his debut by striking out Schwarber. Jonathan Loaisiga replaced Hamilton and needed just one pitch to retire Realmuto on a fly out.
After Loaisiga pitched a perfect eighth inning, Clay Holmes pitched a scoreless ninth and struck out Turner with a sweeper for the final out.
The Yankees will go for the series win against the Phillies on Tuesday. First pitch is at 7 p.m. ET.
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