Joe DiMaggio once said, “you always get a special kick on opening day, no matter how many you go through. You look forward to it like a birthday party when you’re a kid. You think something wonderful is going to happen.” And for the New York Yankees, opening weekend brought a lot of highs and only a few lows.
Taking the field for a meaningful game for the first time since early October, game one of the series featured a rematch of the 2021 Wild Card game in more ways than one. Yankees ace and $36,000,000 man Gerrit Cole took the mound to face the same pitcher he had lost to in his embarrassing Wild Card game start at Fenway Park. Cole vs. Nathan Eovaldi is a matchup we might be seeing and hearing about for a long time, but similar to the Wild Card game Eovaldi was the much better pitcher early on. Cole once again gave up an early home run, this time a two-run shot to Rafael Devers. Boston picked up another run in the first inning on a JD Martinez double, giving Eovaldi a three-run cushion, but Anthony Rizzo put the Yankees right back with a two-run homer in the game bottom of the inning. After the first inning, Cole improved but had yet another shaky start against the Red Sox. He finished his first outing of the 2022 campaign with a line of 4 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, and 3 K’s. Giancarlo Stanton continued his dominance against Boston with a bullet of a home run into the right-field short porch to tie the game in the bottom of the fourth. Chad Green relieved Cole in the top of the fifth and took care of the Sox, only allowing one hit and no runs. Clay Holmes recorded two outs but gave up a run on an Alex Verdugo single, which gave the Sox back their lead. DJ LeMahieu went the other way for another Yankees homer into the short porch in the bottom of the eight. The game went to extra innings, where Xander Bogaerts drove in Jonathan Arauz on a blooper into left field. With their backs against the wall, the Yankees would tie the game up on a Gleyber Torres sacrifice fly to center field. Michael King struck out Verdugo and Trevor Story in the top of the eleventh inning and retired Bobby Dalbec on a grounder to Yankees shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
Yankees newcomer Josh Donaldson called the game on a base hit to center field in the bottom of the eleventh. The Yankees won the game 6-5 and started the 2022 season on a good note.
In game one, the Yankees were resilient and determined. Aaron Judge had two hits and a run. Stanton and Rizzo didn’t miss a beat from the tail end of the 2021 season, and LeMahieu looked solid in his first game since late September after suffering a sports hernia.
In game two of the three-game set, Luis Severino made his first start since October of 2019. Out of the gate, Severino was dominant in the Saturday matinee. He retired the first three hitters he faced, recording two strikeouts. Severino made a mistake to Verdugo, who put a two-run home run into the short porch in the top of the second. Severino recorded another three strikeouts and didn’t allow another run after the Verdugo homer. His pitch count got high, which prompted Yankees manager Aaron Boone to make a call to the bullpen and give the ball to Ron Marinaccio, the Toms River, New Jersey native. Marinaccio recorded three straight outs after allowing a walk to Trevor Story in his big league debut, two of which were strikeouts. Outside of the walk, Marinaccio’s debut was outstanding. He looked sharp and dominant in his return to the hill, which is excellent news for Boone and Yankees fans. Severino’s final stat line was 3 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 0 BB, and 5 K’s.
Rizzo remained scorching hot with another two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth inning, this time off of Red Sox starter Nick Pivetta. In the bottom half of the sixth, Stanton hit his nightly homer against the Red Sox, giving the Yankees their first lead of the game, 4-2.
The Yankees bullpen did a great job holding the Sox off the scoreboard. Marinaccio was outstanding, Miguel Castro got the job done, Clay Holmes was dominant, Lucas Luetge was untouchable, Chad Green shut down his hitters once again, and Aroldis Chapman swiftly finished the job in the ninth, clinching the series.
In the third and final game of the series, Yankees left-hander Jordan Montgomery looked to hand the Yankees their first sweep of 2022. He looked sharp out of the gate, his fastball velocity looking higher than it’s usually been in his career. A hard line drive hit him in his knee area, but he continued and delivered an excellent first start of the season. His line was 3.1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, and 4 K’s.
The Red Sox once again took an early lead, but the Yankees fought back as they did throughout the entire series. Rizzo and Stanton again put the team on their back and put the Yankees back into the game. Stanton’s single in the bottom of the third drove in a run, and Rizzo’s base knock in the bottom of the fourth knotted the game at three apiece.
Young Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt took the ball from Montgomery in the top of the fourth. Schmidt recorded two outs, one of which was a sacrifice fly that drove in a run and one that was a strikeout of Enrique Hernandez. He showed promise and has taken significant strides in the last couple of seasons. Schmidt is a very intriguing young piece to a deep Yankees pitching staff.
Boston took the lead in the top of the sixth and didn’t look back. LeMahieu pinch hit for Yankees catcher Jose Trevino in the eighth, but the Yankees couldn’t manufacture a run. Wandy Peralta came in for the top of the ninth and tossed a scoreless inning highlighted by two strikeouts. In the bottom of the ninth, Red Sox pitcher Jake Diekman fanned three Yankees hitters in a row, Judge, Stanton, and Joey Gallo. The Sox took the final game, but the Yanks took the series.
Overall the Yankees should be pleased with their first three games. While Cole, Gallo, Torres, and Aaron Hicks need to pick up their play, Rizzo, Stanton, Judge, Donaldson, Severino, and the Yankees bullpen were very encouraging. Boone and Yankees general manager Brian Cashman have to be concerned about Gerrit Cole. He has been far from good against Boston and, in particular big games, and less than the dominant force he was before Major League Baseball’s crackdown on using a foreign substance. With a growing concern about Cole, one must wonder if a now healthy Severino is back to being their true ace. Even with Cole struggling, the Yankees found a way to win a game against a formidable opponent, which they struggled to do last season. If and when Cole figures it out, the Yankees are in an excellent spot for pitching. Frankly, they already are.
In his first two games with the Yankees, Kiner-Falefa was somewhat shaky. But in his third game, he figured it out and had a decent day in the field and at the plate. His job is to be an elite defensive shortstop, which he has not yet lived up to in his short time in pinstripes. Strikeouts continue to be a significant problem for Joey Gallo, who is ice cold out of the gate. After missing most of the 2021 season due to injury, more is needed from Aaron Hicks. His defense has come as expected, but his offensive game is not there, similar to previous years. Gleyber Torres is on a short leash after a rough past two seasons and a tough start to this one. His late surge after being moved back to second base late in 2021 gives the front office hope. As the season advances, and he has less mileage on him by playing at his natural position rather than shortstop, the Yanks will need more from Torres. After his sports hernia, LeMahieu is being eased back into his essential role as one of the best utility players in baseball.
The Yankees must flush the final game of this series and prepare for the high octane Toronto Blue Jays offense at Yankee Stadium for four games starting Monday night. The first game of the series will feature Alec Manoah for the visitors and Jameson Taillon for the home team. The first pitch for Monday’s game is set for 7:05 PM (EDT).
