Yankees Series Recap
Image credit to Corey Sipkin, NY Post
Series 1: Home Vs San Francisco Giants
Game 1: Gerrit Cole vs Logan Webb (Yankees Win 5-0)
Opening day 2023 and Yankees fans could not ask for anymore! A five-run shut out and Gerrit Cole absolutely shoved. He pitched the single best game for any opening day starter in Yankees history; breaking the record for strikeouts with 11. Cole also used a mound visit to stop a pitch clock violation which showed great awareness, which I loved. Aaron Judge opened up the year with a bomb to center while Rookie Anthony Volpe looked disciplined at the plate and stole a bag. Gleyber Torres looked very good at the plate and Ron Marinaccio also had a stress free outing.
Game 2: Clarke Schmidt vs Alex Cobb (Giants Win 7-5)
This is disappointing for obvious reasons being a 7-5 loss in a game that they let slip away from them. On the positive side of things…. Judge continued to look locked in as he is proving the payday was well earned. Giancarlo Stanton hit a missile of a homer and Volpe collected 2 hits and another stolen base. Wandy Peralta pitched well again, continuing his play from last years solid season. Now, the bad… The pitching was lack luster. Clarke Schmidt was laboring through the beginning of the game with about 50 pitches through 2 innings and he fell apart in the 4th. Michael King looked very rough in his 2023 debut with 2 runs, 4 hits, and 1 walk. He also struck out three on a semi positive note. Who I’m really worried about though is Clay Holmes. Holmes kept to his post All-Star Game form from last year in his first outing and that is poor. Josh Donaldson’s new swing changes haven’t helped that much as he struck out a pair more times in this game. DJ LeMahieu got a hit but he has also been striking out more than usual in the early going.
Game 3: Jhonny Brito vs Ross Stripling (Yankees Win 6-0)
Another shutout in this series for the Yankees made a nice Sunday in the Bronx even nicer. In an interesting move, Manager Aaron Boone moved Gleyber Torres to leadoff, and he got a hit and worked a walk. Torres has been a little swing happy of late, if he stays up there at the top of the lineup I would hope that he works counts a little better. The bats were silent till the 3rd inning where the Yankees tee’d off on Ross Stripling. Judge hit a Laser to left, shortly after that Stanton hit the 3rd longest homer in the new Yankee stadium… A 485 ft BOMB! The next inning Kyle Higashioka added a homer. Volpe showed his plate discipline and also stole his 3rd base of the season. Oswaldo Cabrera flashed the bat like he did all spring and Anthony Rizzo looked good again at the plate. Isiah Kiner-Falefa looked confident in center, but not at the plate. Donaldson struck out two more times again. As for the pitching, Jhonny Brito pitched 5 scoreless with 6 strikeouts and looked fantastic limiting hard contact and only walking 1 batter. The pen finished the job and Marinaccio had another great outing with 3 K’s in 1.1 IP.
What to be excited about
Aaron Judge - He looks ready to win another MVP. He looks locked in with 6 hits to start the year.
Gerrit Cole - Looked at home in the Bronx, carved through a weak lineup and didn’t let anyone beat him. The pitch clock didn’t look like an issue and his stuff was nasty…. Even on a chilly opening day
Giancarlo Stanton - G is locked in. To me I’d expect him to get on a hot streak soon, he’s seeing the ball very well right now. I’m also happy to see him in the field for 2 games this series. I wish game two would’ve went better for him, but that will happen, he bounced back in game 3.
Ron Marinaccio - Picked up right where he left off in 2022. Marinaccio looks like he will be an important part of the pen. I expect him to be the set up guy all year.
What to be on the lookout for
The Hicks Controversy - With his comments, I believe Hicks is trying to force his way out of the Bronx. Most Yankees fans would be fine with this, but it’s something to keep an eye on.
Gleyber Torres - He has started the year swinging which can be good and bad. The Bad Torres chases a lot of pitches and gets out in front of the ball. Hopefully he can go the other way and use the short porch to his advantage like the Good free swinging Torres does. The homer was very encouraging to start the year.
Jhonny Brito - He will be up and down all year, but it is nice for Yankees fans to know that they may have a reliable innings eater who looked very good in his first start.
Josh Donaldson - He made contact this series, that’s the positive. The negatives that he struck out 6 times in 3 games. It’s hard to be positive about him when he can look as lost as he does. Just remember that he plays a good 3B.
DJ LeMahieu - Personally, I’m a little worried about LeMahieu. He struck out 5 times in the first two games. I understand there is rust so let’s just hope he can right the path.
What to be upset about
Clay Holmes - This is perhaps the least encouraging start to the season a Yankees fan could ask for. He struggled again and I don’t foresee him being the closer in the near future. You can’t pitch him in any high leverage situations…. Confidence is extremely low in the 2022 All-Star.