The Yankees got a clutch hit from Anthony Rizzo in the 10th inning and took advantage of another Mariners mistake on the base paths to hold onto a 2-1 win on Wednesday night in Seattle.
With the win, the Yankees clinched a postseason spot and with the Orioles’ loss earlier in the evening, their magic number to capture the AL East crown is now six.
Here are the takeaways…
-The game was won for the Yankees in the 10th after Rizzo came through with an RBI double to lead off and give New York a 2-1 lead. It was Rizzo’s second RBI of the game after he picked up a two-out single in the second inning to score Jasson Dominguez who walked, stole second and moved to third on a throwing error.
But in the bottom of the 10th, after the Mariners got runners on the corners with no outs, Ian Hamilton struck out Randy Arozarena swinging. The outfielder lost his bat, which spun towards third base where Julio Rodriguez was standing. The young outfielder veered into foul territory to avoid the bat but went too far, allowing Austin Wells to throw to Jazz Chisholm Jr. for the tag and get the second out of the inning.
It was the second base running mistake at third base in as many games for the Mariners. Hamilton would get Justin Turner swinging to end the game and pick up his first save of the season.
-Despite the late-game heroics, it was an ugly offensive game. The Yankees were 2-for-7 with runners in scoring postiion and left six men on base. They had just three hits and struck out a season-high 15 times — a lot of that has to do with homeplate umpire Jim Wolf — but it was the same for Seattle.
The Mariners had six hits but were 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base. They also struck out 14 times.
-On a positive note, Nestor Cortes was on his game again but he wasn’t helped out by his defense early. Dominguez lost a long fly ball from Turner in the lights or sky as he allowed it to drop a few feet away from him on the warning track for a double. That hit had a 99 percent catch probability but Cortes would hunker down and not allow the runner to score.
Cortes would work into and out of trouble in the fifth after he allowed runners to reach the corners with two outs but the southpaw got Arozarena to pop out to end the threat.
The Yankees left-hander would pitch six scoreless innings, allowing four hits and three walks while striking out six batters. Over his last seven outings (since Aug. 13), Cortes now has a 1.58 ERA a 0.90 WHIP and a .547 opp. OPS.
-The bullpen would get into trouble in the seventh after Tommy Kahnle walked the leadoff hitter on four pitches but got the next two batters out. Clay Holmes was called on to get the final out of the inning but after a walk, the former Yankees closer got Cal Raleigh to fly out.
Holmes wasn’t so lucky in the eighth. After striking out Arozarena, Holmes hung an 86 mph slider over the heart of the plate, which Turner launched 390 feet just inside the left field foul pole to tie the game at 1-1. It’s Holmes’ MLB-leading 13th blown save of the season.
Luke Weaver struck out four batters in his 1.2 innings of work and is quickly becoming the Yankees’ most dominant reliever.
–Gleyber Torres went hitless (0-5), which ended his 17-game on-base streak. Anthony Volpe returned to the lineup after getting a breather but he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and failed to get a bunt down in the 10th inning.
Soto finished 1-for-2 with two walks while Judge went hitless (0-3) with a walk and three strikeouts.
Game MVP: Anthony Rizzo
The veteran first baseman picked up the Yankees’ lone two runs but also made some incredible picks at first base that prevented certain innings from going sideways.
Highlights
What’s next
The Yankees and Mariners conclude their three-game series on Thursday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m.
Clarke Schmidt (5-3, 2.41 ERA) will take the mound for the Yankees with Logan Gilbert (7-11, 3.24 ERA) on the bump for Seattle.
