Showdown at the Big A
The Yankees swung through Southern California and were kind enough to stop in Orange County.
I have spent many seasons making the short trip to Angel Stadium in Anaheim when the Yankees come to town. Inevitably I park at an office complex adjacent to the train tracks, cross under the short bridge, and hike across the parking lot to the entrance. The stadium does a nice job getting fans inside quickly and before long I’m riding the escalator to the club level. On this particular Wednesday evening, I was excited to watch Luis Gil who has been a revelation in New York’s starting rotation. He struck out 14 batters against the White Sox on May 18 and boasts a 1.82 Earned Run Average so far this season. May 29 would be Gil’s next time to prove his early excellence was no fluke.
The game got off to a bizarre start. Tyler Anderson allowed a single to Anthony Volpe before issuing walks to Juan Soto and Aaron Judge. Giancarlo Stanton followed with a pop up that resulted in an out based on the infield fly rule. However, Soto ran into Angels shortstop Zach Neto who blocked his path back to second base. The result was a collision and Soto being ruled out for interference as the ball hit the ground. This was an odd decision because Stanton had been ruled out even without a catch being made. Thus, Soto needed to step on the bag to avoid a double play and was ultimately impeded from doing so. Yankees manager Aaron Boone was incensed and got ejected after berating the umpires. Unfortunately, video review could not be used in this case. First year Yankee outfielder Alex Verdugo grounded out and the Yankees failed to score.
My section had a pro-Yankee bent and I enjoyed seeing this jersey honoring the “Core Four” Yankees from the dynasty beginning in the mid ‘90s. It honors Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, and Andy Pettitte. That was truly the modern Golden Age for anyone who loves the franchise. After Gil cruised through the first three innings, Verdugo whacked a home run over the short right field wall. I had a great vantage point to watch the ball land before he celebrated at home plate. Adam Cimber pitched a scoreless inning after Anderson departed.
Volpe flashed his signature speed in the seventh, ripping a triple down the right field line against Hunter Strickland and dashing home after a throwing error by Luis Rengifo. Rengifo had two of the Angels’ three hits in the game, but his mistake gave the Yankees a 2-0 advantage. In the bottom half, catcher Logan O’Hoppe hit the electronic scoreboard in right field above the yellow line for a solo homer. Gil would pitch eight innings and allow just that one run. However, Angels relievers Roansy Contreras and Luis Garcia kept it a close contest.
The Yankees made some fine defensive plays, including a diving stop by Volpe and a sprawling catch by Verdugo. Anthony Rizzo flashed the leather as well before feeding Gil for a force out at first. Yankees bench coach Brad Ausmus then turned to Clay Holmes, who threw a wild pitch and allowed the first two runners to reach. Holmes buckled down, getting Willie Calhoun to hit into a double play. Finally, Taylor Ward grounded out to end the game giving Holmes some redemption after blowing a save the night before. The visitors escaped with a 2-1 win.
As the Bronx Bombers came out to celebrate, I was all smiles. The Yankees went on to win the series with an 8-3 victory on Thursday on the heels of taking two of three from the Padres in San Diego. They followed with a three-game sweep of the Giants in San Francisco and four-game whitewashing of the Twins back home. At 45-21, New York leads the Orioles by 2.5 games in the AL East.
I made a quick visit to the team store and noticed the 2002 World Series trophy just outside. Aside from being the franchise’s only championship, it reminds me of living in the Bay Area and seeing the anguish Giants fans felt when they couldn’t close the deal despite having Barry Bonds on their roster. Little did they know that San Francisco would go on to win three titles in the intervening years.
As I left the stadium, I noticed that a fan had used duct tape to convert a Shohei Ohtani jersey into one honoring O’Hoppe. He explained: “I didn’t want to give Arte Moreno any more of my money” in reference to the Angels owner who has become unpopular among supporters of the Halos over the years. The dynamic Ohtani left town in the offseason to sign a $700 million deal with the Dodgers while the Angels did very little to address their personnel issues. With Mike Trout injured, the team feels even thinner than usual these days.
Aside from the thrill of seeing Gil pitch in person, I was able to witness a small slice of Aaron Judge’s incredible month at the plate which has been called one of the best in the history of the game. Hitting 14 home runs and 12 doubles while walking 22 times and slugging .918 is beyond impressive. I don’t need to watch a documentary to marvel at one of the finest players to don the pinstripes, and that’s a truly special feeling.
