The Yankees have put a lot of faith in their youth over the past few weeks. That faith continued to be rewarded Saturday night, as Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge and Luis Cessa did the heavy-lifting in a 5-1 win over the Angels that moved the Yankees back to within four games of the American League wild card.
Sanchez got the team on the board early in the first when he launched yet another home run, his sixth in only 15 games. Didi Gregorius and Starlin Castro drew a pair of hits to keep the two-out rally going, and after a Brian McCann single, the Yankees found themselves on top 3-0 before the Halos would even come to bat. From there, Cessa, making his first start of the year, stole the show. The 24-year-old was fantastic against Los Angeles, spinning six shutout innings while allowing just four baserunners on three hits and a walk.
The team would tack on another pair of insurance runs in the sixth when Judge sliced an opposite-field two-run single that made it 5-0. That lead held until the seventh, when it appeared the Angels would finally break through. With a man on first and one out, C.J. Cron powered a Tyler Clippard fastball deep into left field, appearing to be a home run on contact. Brett Gardner had other ideas though, as he raced back and jumped the wall, robbing Cron of a homer and preserving the shutout.
The Angels would snap the shutout with an Albert Pujols solo shot off Dellin Betances in the ninth, but otherwise go quietly as the Yankees took the second game of the series.
The Play: McCann’s two-out, two-run single in the first (+.162 WPA)
The game was bookended with highlighted by Sanchez and Gardner, but it was McCann’s two-run single in the first that dealt the biggest blow to the Angels’ chances. McCann served this Nolasco pitch sharply through the hole for a two-out hit that plated both Gregorius and Castro, giving the Yankees a 3-0 lead in the first.
Top Performers
Yankees: Brian McCann (2 for 4, 1 R, 2 RBI)
Angels: Albert Pujols (1 for 4, 1 HR, 1 R, 1 RBI)
The Quote
“I wasn’t sure off the bat. I knew he hit it pretty well and then the more I got closer to the wall, I knew I was going to be able to get to the ball, it was just matter of if I was going to run out of room or not.” -Brett Gardner on his fantastic catch
The Highlight: Gardner commits robbery in the seventh
It was going to take a lot to knock Sanchez’s home run out as this game’s highlight, but Gardner certainly delivered. Cron sent pitch a long way, but Gardner was able to track it, leap into the stands back-first, and come up with the baseball. The gem preserved the Yankee shutout for at least a couple more innings.
Up Next
The Yankees will go for the sweep in Anaheim on Sunday when they send Chad Green to the hill. Through nine 2016 appearances, five of them starts, Green holds a 4.05 ERA and 1.26 WHIP, but was excellent in his last start against Toronto, striking out 11 in six shutout innings. Facing him will be Jhoulys Chacin, who has struggled to the tune of a 5.92 ERA in 103 and 1/3 innings in 2016. Game time is 3:35 pm.
Lead photo: Gary A. Vasquez / USA Today Sports