THE BRONX, N.Y. — The mysterious glow from the full moon above displayed as a poignant symbol of what lied ahead for the New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals in a wild Wednesday night matchup at Yankee Stadium.
The Yankees offense came alive in the nick of time to save their bullpen from their woeful blunders, their offense stepping into the light and culminating a night that sent the 25,032 into a thunderous frenzy. The most notable blunder came from the arsenal of Aroldis Chapman, who surrendered the Yankees 5-4 lead in the top of the ninth inning by walking rookie catcher Sebastian Rivero — who replaced Salvador Pérez after he exited the game in the fourth inning — on four-straight balls that were petrified of getting near strike zone with the bases loaded. That opened the doors for designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn to snag a game-leading infield hit to give the Royals a one-run edge.
The deflating outcome of the top of the ninth did not bode well with catcher Gary Sánchez who backed up his pitching companion by belting a 93-mph fastball from closer Greg Holland to tie the game at five in the bottom of the do-or-die inning.
The game-tying home run set the stage for Giancarlo Stanton to rocket a single past first baseman Carlos Santana, eventually allowing first baseman Luke Voit to power-in the Yankees game-winning run with pinch-runner Tyler Wade sprinting towards the glory that awaited him past home plate, cementing the Yankees 6-5 walk-off win.
Despite Aroldis Chapman blowing the save opportunity, Gary Sánchez went into the bottom of the ninth inning locked and loaded, tying the game at five, erasing his closer’s one-run deficit. ( 📸 Photo: Bill Menzel/ Latino Sports)
That game-winning hit was the offspring of a series of emotions that riddled throughout the night for the Bronx Bombers. A combination of bitter frustration and fervent electricity inspired the Yankees to tango with the Royals bullpen late and send the ball well over the field of play.
Even though the Royals fell to heroics late in the game, they fiercely utilized their opponents’ weakness with runners in scoring position and came up unscathed when faced with two bases-loaded scares in the second and seventh inning. The Yankees left a total of 10 runners on base in Wednesday’s matchup.
However, both hitters who produced the third out in those bases-loaded opportunities later gave the Yankees the life they needed to fuel their comeback win. A struggling Rougned Odor — who struck out with the bases loaded in the second inning — was the one to smother a go-ahead two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning when the Bombers were down 4-3. As Voit spat out the sour taste of striking out with the bases loaded in the seventh and eventually posed as the one to steer his team to the path to victory.
“I trust everybody in this team,” Odor said following the group effort it took to win on Wednesday night. “We got a lot of good hitters, you know, and good pitchers too. I don’t care how many runs they score and if we’re losing. I know we’re gonna come back. I believe everybody in this team.”
With growing confidence in the batter’s box — as well as behind the plate — Sánchez finds himself in the driver’s seat for the Yankees offense. Sánchez had hit .338/.411/.708 in his last 21 games before Wednesday’s matchup. The 28-year-old’s maximum exit velocity of 113.4 belongs in the top 10% of the league.
“He’s in on every pitch,” manager Aaron Boone said on his catcher’s most recent success. “Obviously smoked one there to tie it up. I’m proud of how hard he’s worked to get to this point, to be obviously the threat he is.”
“Unbelievable,” Voit said on Sánchez’s impact thus far. “The guy’s locked in right now … we’re finally seeing what the Kraken is when he’s unleashed. And he’s been positive through everything. And finally, I think things are starting to click with his swing … it’s fun to watch finally in person instead of on TV.”
Chapman’s steaming anger due to a staggering lack of productivity was heavily showcased and ridiculed despite the Yankees win. The Cuban Missle has a 1-2 record — the solo win coming from Wednesday’s comeback — an 11.81 ERA and has given up 12 hits, seven earned runs, and five walks with a 3.19 WHIP over his last seven appearances.
Through the ups and the downs, and those finding their stride or struggling to produce, the Yankees found a way to pen their 39th win of the season. The third-place team currently sits 4.5 games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East.
