Last night, the Yankees had the opportunity to do something they hadn’t done since 1913 (!): lose 10 straight games. “Strong” with a nine-game losing streak, they faced the Nationals in the Bronx last night.
And with Luis Severino and his 7.98 ERA on the mound, let’s just say even the most optimistic had reason to be afraid.
Before the match, Brian Cashman appeared in front of the media and he confessed that the 2023 season was a “disaster” for his club and that nobody expected such a scenario.
I think there were still a few red flags, but it’s true that the stampede was a lot more intense than one might have thought.
And obviously, Cashman’s words seemed to whip the troops a bit. After a perfect inning for Severino to start the ball rolling, Aaron Judge hit a solo homer to give his team the lead, a first since Aug. 14.
The captain got the message, anyway.
And after seeing young Everson Pereira to produce his first career run in the second endJudge decided to continue raising his club.
Also in the second inning, he came up to bat with the bases loaded, and he took the opportunity to hit his second homer of the game.
Suddenly it was 6-0 for the locals.
However, considering Severino’s setbacks this season, a 6-0 lead was not necessarily a guarantee of victory for the Yankees. At least, that’s what we thought.
But in the end, the gunner experienced from afar his best outing of the season: he pitched 6.2 innings without allowing a single run.
And he got a good dose of love from the fans, which must have done him a lot of good.
I don’t know if it will allow Severino to restart his season and finish strong, but in any case, it is certainly the most encouraging start he has had in a very, very long time.
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen him smile, and last night, we finally saw him happy. Imagine the ton of pressure that had to be taken off his shoulders.
In the seventh inning, DJ LeMahieu homered to make it 7-0. Then, after a pause following a major injury for Stone GarrettJudge hit his third homer of the game for the team’s eighth run.
It was the first time in his career that he hit three homers in one game.
Anthony Volpe drove in the Yankees’ ninth run while Dominic Smith ended the hosts’ shutout hopes with a homer with just one out left for his Nationals.
The Yankees finally won by a score of 9-1, therefore.
It’s a victory that will clearly do the club good, and without necessarily saving the season, it will at least boost the morale of the troops.
And unsurprisingly, it was the captain who pulled his own up.
We’ll see if the Yankees find their way back to winning ways on a regular basis over the next few days, but for one night, happiness is back in the Bronx.
It was about time, let’s say.
