Was Max Fried really at his best on Sunday?
There were some shaky moments in the infield, and, to top it off, one of the game’s top hitters got sidelined. Even so, the Yankees powered through against the Orioles, securing an 11-3 win. This marks their third straight victory in the series and their 13th win in the last 15 games.
The Yankees started strong, thanks to home runs from Ben Rice and Aaron Judge, despite Judge’s eventual exit due to a hand injury. Their bullpen delivered solid performances, and they managed to score a run in the 6th to reclaim the lead.
On his MLB debut against Trey Gibson, Rice launched his 12th home run of the season early in the first inning.
Judge made it to second on a fielding error but ended the inning on a grounder from Weston Wilson.
The game was tied by the Orioles in the third inning. Wilson began with a single, and, after Fried’s throw to first seemed effective, he doubled. Blaze Alexander then drove in Wilson with a hit to right; however, Judge made a crucial throw that kept the Orioles from taking the lead.
Judge continued to excel defensively, making a great catch on Taylor Ward’s hit near the wall for the second out.
The Yankees regained the lead in the third when Rice hit a shallow double, followed by Judge’s 13th home run of the year, pushing the score to 3-1.
Yet, Fried struggled a bit in the fourth inning. Pete Alonso started with a double, followed by a walk to Tyler O’Neal, and then Coby Mayo’s infield hit loaded the bases on a play that Ryan McMahon could have handled better.
With everyone on base, Leodies Taveras grounded out to Jazz Chisholm Jr., who managed to score a run, eventually leading to Baltimore tying the game through a double play.
In the fifth, the Yankees tried to gain momentum again when Cody Bellinger’s two-out liner bounced off the wall, moving Judge to third, but the inning ended with a groundout from Chisholm.
In the sixth, Jason Dominguez hit a leadoff double, which sparked the Yankees. After an out from Austin Wells, McMahon scored on an infield hit from Dominguez.
Trent Grisham made a strong attempt with a shot to right-center, but O’Neal made a remarkable diving catch, closing the top of the seventh. Samuel Vassallo was left at third, looking to even the score.
The Yankees finally broke the tie in the eighth when Dominguez delivered his first two-run homer of the season, and Paul Goldschmidt, filling in for Rice, added a double to the mix.
