The Yankees had a strong game, both at the start and finish.
In what seems like a sudden turnaround despite all their injuries, they ended their long first-inning drought. They scored six runs in the seventh and eighth innings, ultimately winning 9-3 against the Astros in front of 40,269 fans at The Bronx.
With this victory, the Yankees (75-57) marked their seventh win in nine games, remaining 3 ½ games behind the Rays while gaining ground on the Red Sox, who are now 2 ½ games back of the top wild-card spot.
This win came thanks to some solid pitching from Elmer Rodríguez, who had the best start of his career with six innings and three runs allowed, backed up by Paul Blackburn, Michael Fulmer, and Tim Hill.
The offense was in full swing as well, tallying up 13 hits and scoring a total of 24 runs over their last three games.
For the first time in 23 games, the Yankees managed to score a run in the first inning, finishing with two runs overall. Previously, without Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees had struggled, with first-inning hitters going just 7-for-73 (.096) with nine walks and 25 strikeouts, not to mention zero runs scored.
This all changed on Wednesday when Ben Rice hit a solo home run, and the team demonstrated some creativity to add another run. Cody Bellinger hit a ground ball that deflected off Christian Walker at first base, hitting Luis García Jr., who was trying to advance from first. This incident left both runners on second and third, leading to García scoring on a groundout by George Lombard Jr.
Right before the bottom of the seventh, the game was tied at 3-3. The Yankees then sent nine players to the plate against the Astros’ bullpen, with Bellinger, Spencer Jones, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. all getting hits that brought in runs.
Finally, in the eighth inning, when García hit a two-run homer, the Yankees experienced a rare moment of relaxation during a game, something they rarely get to do even when they win.
