Yankees split doubleheader with Angels after Luis Gil goes 5 scoreless innings in Game 1 win
Yankees starting pitcher Luis Gil walks to the dugout after the top of the fifth inning against the Angels in Game 1 of an MLB doubleheader at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
It took Luis Gil 55 pitches to get through the first two innings against the Angels on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium. So it wasn’t clear if the rookie righthander was going to make it too far in the first game of a doubleheader.
But Gil used a career-high 107 pitches to gut through five shutout innings and picked up the victory as the Yankees won their third in a row and eighth in nine games, 5-2.
The Yankees lost the nightcap, 8-2, as fill-in starter Will Warren was strafed for eight runs in 4 1/3 innings. Warren was called up as the “27th man” for his second big-league start.
Angels shortstop Zach Neto had himself a day and night: After a two-run homer in the opener, he hit a grand slam in the Angels’ six-run second inning and a two-run double in the fourth.
“A mistake to Neto, who obviously had a really good day against us,” Aaron Boone said of Warren's outing. “In the end, just not enough execution in spots he needed it."
Pitching in cold, wet and windy conditions that felt more like March than August, Gil allowed two hits, walked five, struck out six and threw two wild pitches in Game 1. The game-time temperature was 65 degrees and light rain fell during the early innings as the Yankees built a 5-0 lead.
Gil’s final pitch was a 98.7-mile per hour fastball that was skied to center by Willie Calhoun to end the fifth. That was the only 1-2-3 inning for Gil, who improved to 12-5 with a 3.06 ERA.
After the ball settled into Trent Grisham’s glove, Gil pumped his fist on the mound.
“A very exciting moment right there,” Gil said through an interpreter. “I think it was important for me to complete that inning, give our team the best shot possible. It’s excitement. Before I went out to pitch the fifth, that’s the mindset I had. Start this inning and complete it.”
Gil’s previous career high was the 104 pitches he threw on June 14 against Boston.
“It was good,” said Boone. “It was a bit of a struggle there just to get him in rhythm and stuff. His stuff was good. Fastball profile really good. Just a lot of big, long counts, but in the end gave us five shutout and kind of grinded his way to it to set us up for a Game 1 victory. Good job of battling today by Luis."
The Yankees, used nine hits – including five doubles and a solo home run by Oswaldo Cabrera -- to hammer the Angels, who last weekend took two of three from the Mets in Anaheim.
Gil needed 30 pitches to get out of the first inning after walking two batters. He needed 25 to get out of the second after allowing two hits. He walked a batter in the third and two more in the fourth (and threw a pair of wild pitches during the second walk’s plate appearance), but emerged from each jam unscathed as the weather worsened.
“Definitely difficult out there today,” Gil said of the conditions. “Trying to locate all my pitches there. The fastball, slider and the changeup. But you have to understand that happens.”
The Yankees took a 2-0 lead in the first against Los Angeles starter Davis Daniel (1-3, 6.04 ERA) when Alex Verdugo led off with a double and scored three batters later on Austin Wells’ single. Anthony Volpe added a two-out run-scoring double.
Cabrera rocketed a 3-and-1 pitch into the rightfield stands with one out in the second for his seventh home run and a 3-0 Yankees lead.
In the fourth, Verdugo added an RBI double. Aaron Judge, who was intentionally walked four times in the previous series by Toronto, was challenged by Angels manager Ron Washington with two outs and a runner on third. Judge lined an 108.3-mph RBI single to left off reliever Jose Marte to make it 5-0.
His next time up, Judge just missed his 42nd homer on a 373-foot drive to the warning track in left. Washington had seen enough.
In the eighth, Judge was given his 12th intentional walk of the season with two outs and no one on. Wells followed by lining out to second against lefthander Matt Moore.
Neto hit a two-run homer in the seventh off Jake Cousins to make it a 5-2 game.
Luke Weaver threw a 1-2-3 eighth for the Yankees and Clay Holmes earned his 24th save in 33 chances with a perfect ninth with two strikeouts. Cabrera, playing second base, made the final out with a diving stop and throw on a one-hopper by Sayville’s Logan O’Hoppe.
Stro’ show delayed. Struggling Marcus Stroman has had his next start pushed back to Sunday as he works on mechanical issues during extra bullpen sessions, Boone said. Stroman last pitched on Friday, when he allowed seven runs in 2 2/3 innings to Toronto. He has a 7.56 ERA in his last six starts.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
