Game 29 : Behind the timely hitting of Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez, the Yankees edged the defending division champion Baltimore Orioles, 4-3. A-Rod had an RBI sac fly in the bottom of the first, then hit a rope over the centerfield fence in the third, breaking his tie with Wille Mays for fourth place on the all-time home run list. A-Rod came inches from the record-setting homer in his first at bat, but was robbed by a great, leaping catch by Orioles right fielder Delmon Young.
Yankees starter Nathan Eovaldi improved to 3-0, but needed 10 outs from the bullpen. Over 5.2 innings, Eovaldi was tagged with 3 earned runs (two on solo homers), walked 3, and struck out 3.
Here’s the box score, full recap, video highlights, and condensed game video.
Yankees 4, Orioles 3
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- Alex Rodriguez A special night for A-Rod. A little streaky so far early in the season, but definitely a threat every time he steps in the box.
“I thought the reaction was incredible, and it was very humbling,” he said. “We have the greatest fans in the world and they’ve treated me really good all year, and it’s fueling the way that I’m playing. I’ve said all along that the league, the Yankees, the fans – nobody owes me anything. I said the same thing in Boston. They don’t owe me anything. I am so grateful to be playing baseball.” ‐ Alex Rodriguez (Hat tip: LoHud)
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- Starter Length This can’t keep up. With Masahiro Tanaka sidelined, and the load being put on the shoulders of Michael Pineda as the stopper, the rest of the rotation needs to raise their game and go deeper. Esmil Rogers is a stud innings-eater, and will keep opponents at bay after a starter loses the plot, but this cannot be the strategy over 162 games.
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FOOTNOTES: While these two organizations are joined at the hip historically, tonight’s game was their 2,131st head-to-head matchup, with the Yankees boasting a comfortable 1,262-856 lead. The New Yorkers have plated more runs against Baltimore than any other team in MLB with 10,540.
