It certainly didn’t take long for the Yankees to usher in the new era.
After honoring some of the most important figures of the last twenty years, first with an emotional farewell to Alex Rodriguez Friday night, then with a tribute to the 1996 championship team early Saturday, the team unveiled prospects Tyler Austin and Aaron Judge by making them part of the major league lineup for the very first time. It didn’t take long for them to contribute to their first Yankee win, as they became the first teammates in history to hit back-to-back home runs in their first major league plate appearances, helping the Yankees beat Tampa by a score of 8-4. The win was the fourth straight for New York and moves them to 60-56 on the season.
Yankee starter Masahiro Tanaka had his ups and downs throughout the day, pitching seven innings and striking out eight, but allowing Brad Miller to take him deep twice. Miller’s first shot came in the fourth, two innings after the Austin and Judge show, and turned a 2-0 Yankee lead into a 3-2 deficit. Tanaka mostly settled down after that, holding Tampa in check until Miller found the seats again for a solo shot in the sixth.
Fortunately for the Yankees, the rookies weren’t the only hitters to make their presence felt. Starlin Castro, Aaron Hicks and Didi Gregorius all joined in on the fun with homers of their own, helping New York quickly retake the lead. Tyler Clippard, Anthony Swarzak and Tommy Layne were able to shut the Rays offense down for the final two innings, sealing the win for New York and moving them three games out of the American League wild card.
The Play: Brad Miller’s three-run shot in the fourth (+.261 WPA)
A rare case in which the top play by WPA came from the losing side, Miller’s first home run of the afternoon undid Austin and Judge’s damage and then some. Miller served this Tanaka pitch the other way, clearing the fence in left field to give Tampa a 3-2 lead.
Top Performers
Yankees: Aaron Hicks (2 for 4, 1 HR, 1 R, 3 RBI)
Tampa Bay: Brad Miller (2 for 4, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI)
Notes
-Not only had two teammates never gone back-to-back in their first-ever plate appearances before Austin and Judge, but no two teammates had ever homered together in their debut game at all.
-Both members of the rookie tandem were able to pick up an additional hit later in the game as well, finishing with matching 2 for 4 stat lines in their major league debuts. Austin also picked up his first career stolen base.
-All five Yankee home runs came from players age 26 or under. The youth movement is officially in effect.
-It was the second homer in as many days for both Castro and Hicks, and the 15th of the year for Gregorius, whose previous career high was nine in 2015.
-Upon promoting Judge from Triple-A, general manager Brian Cashman said that he would serve as the Yankees’ right-fielder for the rest of the season.
The Quote
“We’re both honored to be here, and we’re just excited for the future.” -Judge speaking for himself and Austin after the win
The Highlight: Judge sentences a baseball to permanent exile
We covered the historic back-to-back feats of Austin and Judge here, but Judge’s homer in particular is worth recapping. Rays starter Matt Andriese left a hanger up on the fourth pitch of the at-bat, and Judge wasted no time in displaying his incredible power. The ball jumped off his bat at 109 mph and traveled a staggering 446 feet to straightaway center.
Up Next
The Yankees will look to keep picking up ground in the standings when they meet Tampa Bay again on Sunday, a day where they’ll honor Mariano Rivera. Luis Severino will make the start for New York. Severino started in Boston early last week before being optioned to Triple-A, but the Nathan Eovaldi injury forced the Yankees to recall him. Facing him will be Jake Odorizzi, who owns a 3.69 ERA on the season. Game time is 1:05 pm.
Lead photo: Adam Hunger / USA Today Sports