The New York Yankees split a doubleheader with the Baltimore Orioles yesterday, but the real story is how their pitchers absolutely mowed down the O’s lineup in the 6-3 nightcap win. They lost the first game in ugly fashion, sure, but the second game was a full-on strikeout clinic, with Yankees pitchers combining for an insane 17 punchouts. That ties a team high for a standard nine-inning game, and it tells you everything you need to know about the kind of heat they can bring heading into the Wild Card Series.
Bullpen Stepped Up Big, Especially Warren
Starting lefty Ryan Yarbrough did his job, trading zeroes with Orioles starter Brandon Young for 2.1 innings. He threw 49 pitches, gave up four hits and a walk, but didn’t allow a run while fanning five. Solid, right? But then Will Warren stepped onto the mound, inheriting a runner on first with one out, and he was nothing short of amazing. Warren, who’s expected to play a big role in the Wild Card bullpen, tossed 3.2 scoreless frames, giving up only three hits and racking up seven strikeouts. He finishes the regular season with a 3.92 ERA and more than a strikeout per inning. That kind of lights-out relief work is exactly what you want to see when you’re gearing up for October, and it makes their bullpen look seriously scary. Brent Headrick came in for Warren in the seventh and gave up the Orioles’ first run on a sac fly, but the damage was limited.
The Bats Came Alive When It Mattered
The offense finally broke through against Young in the bottom of the fifth. After two outs, Austin Wells worked a walk and then Ryan McMahon absolutely ripped an RBI double to send Wells home. That’s clutch hitting, man! The Bombers really extended their lead in the sixth against the Orioles’ bullpen. Spencer Jones singled in Heliot Ramos, helped by a fielding error, which is always nice. Then, Anthony Volpe, holding down shortstop with George Lombard Jr. resting, crushed an automatic double that plated Luis García Jr. and Jones, making it a 4-0 game. They weren’t done, either. In the seventh, Ramos and García came up with consecutive RBI singles, pushing the lead to 6-1.
The only real hiccup came when Alexander Cornielle made his MLB debut in the eighth. Dylan Beavers greeted him with a solo homer to right, then Cornielle got into a little trouble with two men on base before allowing a long RBI double to Leody Taveras, cutting the lead to three. But give the rookie credit: he shook it off and struck out the next two hitters to close out the game!
The Yankees are now sitting at 93-68 with just one regular season game left. If the weather plays nice, they’ve got a shot at matching last year’s 94-68 record, which is pretty wild considering their best player, Aaron Judge, only suited up for 66 games. One game left, one last chance to fine-tune things before the Wild Card Series kicks off. You know they’ll be looking to carry this pitching momentum into the postseason.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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