Gerrit Cole was absolutely carving up the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, dealing six scoreless innings with 8 strikeouts and holding a tight 1-0 lead. He looked untouchable, but then the seventh inning happened, and a Max Muncy two-run blast ripped that gem to shreds, flipping the script to a 2-1 Dodgers lead.
The Decision That Haunts New York
Cole was rolling, holding the Dodgers to only 3 hits, but even aces can lose the zone. Mookie Betts stepped up in the seventh, and Cole fell behind him 3-0. He battled back to a full count, only to miss far outside with a 98 mph pitch, walking Betts. Cole was at 97 pitches, having gone through the Dodgers’ lineup three times, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone came out to the mound. This is where it got wild: the 13-year veteran, Cole himself, convinced his manager to stay in the game. Facing Max Muncy, Cole got ahead 0-2, but Muncy dug in, fouling off a changeup and then a slider to stay alive. With a 2-2 count, Cole hung a 91 mph slider, leaving it right in the middle of the strike zone. Muncy, dude, he knew it the second it left the bat, launching that gift into Yankee Stadium’s right-field second deck, walking down the first-base line to watch it fly. Just like that, Cole’s night was over, and the Dodgers were up 2-1.
An Eighth-Inning Heartbreaker
The Yankees weren’t going down without a fight, though, and they thought they had the tying run in the eighth. Trent Grisham worked a one-out walk against Alex Vesla, even after falling behind 0-2. Vesla then made another critical mistake, leaving an 85 mph slider in the middle of the zone for Ben Rice. Rice absolutely hammered it deep to center field. The ball caromed off the base of the wall in right-center, and Andy Pages was there to field it. Pages fired a throw to Betts, who made a great relay throw to Dalton Rushing at home plate. Grisham was out at the plate, despite the throw being way behind Rushing, who still made a spectacular tag. The Yankees challenged, arguing Rushing blocked the plate, but the review upheld the out call. Brutal. With first base open, Vesla intentionally walked Paul Goldschmidt to face Cody Bellinger. That strategy paid off, with Bellinger flying out to center field on a 92 mph fastball in the high middle of the zone.
Talk about a gut-punch for the Yankees and a huge win for the Dodgers. Every single pitch felt like it had the weight of the early season on it, especially that decision to leave Cole in. What a chess match, and ultimately, the Dodgers made the plays that mattered most. These are the kinds of games that either galvanize a squad or leave them scratching their heads.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
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