The Yankees must have gotten pretty bored by Tuesday night’s dreary loss, because they turned it around with one of the more…interesting games of the season in Wednesday’s 9-5 win. The game was weird from the start, when Yankees’ starter Chad Green begun the game as follows:
- Home run
- Single
- Single
- Walk
- Single
Some how, some way, Green escaped with just two runs allowed. Yes, despite bases loaded and no outs, the righty managed to strike out Michael Conforto and induce a double play off the bat of Wilmer Flores. Still, it was 2-0 against a very good starter in Steven Matz.
Naturally, the Yankees struck right back with three of their own. Rob Refsnyder singled, Mark Teixeira walked, and Chase Headley doubled both of them in. A double from Didi Gregorius scored Headley, and it was 3-2 Yankees.
The Mets, not to be outdone, started the next inning with a double, an RBI single, a walk, and…another double play that allowed Green to leave with just one more run to his credit. A tie game is to be avoided, though, so in the next half inning Jacoby Ellsbury singled, Refsnyder did the same, and Teixeira went opposite field into the right field bleachers for a three-run home run. Now, it was the Yankees’ turn to shine.
Three disturbingly uneventful innings followed, but the silence was broken when Teixeira was plunked on the knee and gave Steven Matz the most terrifying death stare a man that frequently eats kale could possibly give.
Thankfully for all of us, Teixeira wasn’t done. He would wreak havoc after walking in the bottom of the seventh inning, after apparently stealing Rene Rivera’s signs (though, according to Teixeira, he was just playing mindgames. Seriously). Hansel Robles was thrown out of sync, and a five minute at bat (with just six pitches thrown) to Starlin Castro followed, with Robles and Rivera meeting once (or more) between just about every pitch. I would post the highlight here, but trust me, watching five minutes of that at bat simply isn’t worth it.
After that unique conflict, the game was all but over. Castro singled in Aaron Hicks, and a Gregorius walk brought in Teixeira to make the game 9-4. Underappreciated in this wild game will be Luis Severino’s dominant relief showing, in which he allowed just two baserunners over 4.1 innings, striking out five with one unearned run. This performance, in which Severino looked as electric as ever, should be enough to earn a rotation spot in Green’s place.
The Play: Mark Teixeira hits a three-run home run
Undoubtedly the hero the night, Teixeira made his biggest impact in the second inning when he drove in Ellsbury and Refsnyder with an opposite field shot. He would break the tie, making it 6-3 to give the Yankees a lead they would not surrender.
Top Performers
Yankees: Mark Teixeira (1-1, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB)
Mets: James Loney (2-4, 2 RBI)
The Highlight: Mark Teixeira gives an interview
I mean, come on. This is great.
Up Next
The Yankees will look for a series win on Thursday, with Nathan Eovaldi (4.78 ERA) facing off against Bartolo Colon (3.58 ERA). In a battle of polar opposites, the Yankees will hope their flamethrower can outduel the Mets’ finesse starter.
Source: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports