The New York Yankees opened up a four-game series with the Texas Rangers in the Bronx on Thursday night, taking the game, 7-3.
The game started of nicely. Yankees starter JA Happ struck out the side in the first inning.
2018 All-Star JA Happ strikes out the side in the first. Here's the last two Ks pic.twitter.com/Z3bejcWlr0
— David Mendelsohn (@BigBabyDavid_) August 9, 2018
The Yankees put themselves on the board in the bottom of the first.
Didi Gregorius worked a two-out walk and then Aaron Hicks made Rangers starter Ariel Jurado pay for it.
Aaron Hicks.
A ? and a bat flip ?
That's his 20th homer of the year.#YANKSonYES LIVE stream:https://t.co/Wxh0TjRXT4 pic.twitter.com/hOiV86TJqX
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) August 9, 2018
That was the 20th home run of the year for Hicks, who now joins teammates Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, and Didi Gregorius in the 20-homer club so far.
Stanton, Judge, and Hicks are now the first Yankee outfield trio to each hit over 20 home runs in a season since 2004, when Hideki Matsui, Bernie Williams, and Gary Sheffield accomplished the feat.
The score sat there for a while, with the two sides exchanging zeroes until the top of the fourth inning, when Jurickson Profar hit a solo shot to put the Rangers on the board.
I didn't enjoy this but I think they'll be fine pic.twitter.com/wFAdRZXtWe
— David Mendelsohn (@BigBabyDavid_) August 10, 2018
The Yankees would almost immediately get that run back and then some, though, when Miguel Andujar and Neil Walker hit back-to-back homers that scored three runs in the bottom half of the fourth.
https://twitter.com/MaxWildstein/status/1027708714621399040
https://twitter.com/MaxWildstein/status/1027709128737677312
The Rangers briefly cut it close again on a 2-run double from Shin-soo Choo in the top of the fifth, cutting the deficit to 5-3, but it wouldn’t stay that close for long.
Giancarlo Stanton got all of a pitch for his 28th home run of the season and his third in as many games.
??BLEACHER BOMB??
Giancarlo Stanton crushes the FOURTH #Yankees homer of the night.#YANKSonYES LIVE stream:https://t.co/Wxh0TjRXT4 pic.twitter.com/4bgti3RiXT
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) August 10, 2018
It was the hardest-hit home run since Statcast became a thing in 2015, at 121.7 mph.
Neil Walker would add another to really put the game out of reach for Texas when he snuck his second home run of the night over the left field wall. The Yankees had a 7-3 lead!
This guyyyyyyyyy ?
Neil Walker collects his 2nd HR of the night, and the FIFTH for New York.#YANKSonYES pic.twitter.com/gYePB6SUgh
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) August 10, 2018
That was Neil Walker’s sixth home run of the year, but his first from the right side. It was also the first time in his career that the switch hitter has homered once from each side of the plate in the same game.
The Yankees scored 7 runs on five homers in Thursday’s game.
JA Happ, meanwhile, settled all the way down after the Choo double. He went on to have a final line of: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 9 K. He had nine strikeouts! The Yankees have been getting a lot of Ks lately, with starters getting over eight strikeouts in each of the last five games.
Manager Aaron Boone turned to David Robertson, Dellin Betances, and Aroldis Chapman for the final three frames. They each pitched scoreless innings, but Chapman did look rusty, pitching for the first time since the Red Sox meltdown, walking two batters, but striking out two to end the game.
The Yankees will try to take the second game and secure at least a split on Friday night with Masahiro Tanaka on the mound.
Featured Image via Flickr/Keith Allison
