A Strong Start and Dominant Performance
The game began with a delay of over three hours, but it didn’t seem to affect the Yankees’ performance. With a chance to sweep the Royals, the team managed to do just that, defeating their former rivals thanks to Ryan Weathers’ strong start and a powerful first inning from the lineup. The Yankees improved their record to 13-9 with a commanding 7-0 victory on Sunday.
The game started right away once play was allowed, with leadoff hitter Ben Rice getting on base with a walk, setting the stage for Aaron Judge:
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Judge hit his fifth first-inning home run of the season, giving his team an early lead before the game had really begun. This was also his ninth home run of the year, placing him second in the league behind Yordan Alvarez, who hit his 10th today. Austin Wells added to the pressure in the first inning by driving in Cody Bellinger with a sacrifice fly after Cole Ragans walked three of four batters, loading the bases. Those who stayed through the entire delay were certainly rewarded with a strong opening inning.
Ben Rice continued to make a case for abolishing the platoon system, hitting his eighth home run of the year and fourth straight game with a long ball:
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This appears to be a straightforward home run, but according to Statcast, it would count as a home run in 21 of the 30 MLB parks. Rice’s development as a hitter, along with the two walks he took during the game, makes him a strong candidate to bat in front of Judge at the top of the lineup.
Trent Grisham helped the Yankees put the game out of reach in the fifth inning:
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While the offense provided plenty of excitement, the real story of the game may have been Ryan Weathers. The left-handed pitcher delivered another strong start in his third appearance, pitching 7.1 innings and keeping the Royals scoreless, although he received some help from the defense behind him:
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Getting through the first inning without allowing three consecutive home runs — although Bobby Witt Jr. did manage a single in the frame — was a positive sign for Weathers. However, more than one inning of solid work was needed. Weathers does not have a strong four-seam fastball, and those three home runs the Angels hit were all on center-cut heaters. Today, only 29% of his pitches were the four-seam fastball, which is three percentage points lower than his poor outing last Tuesday. His slider/sweeper pitch was much more active, making up 28% of his pitches compared to 20% previously.
It’s becoming increasingly clear that Weathers performs best when he pitches backwards, mixing more breaking and offspeed pitches in place of his fastball. He was able to do this effectively today, delivering his second-best start of the season. More importantly, this was his second strong start in a row following the game against the Angels, which could mark the beginning of some consistency for the lefty.
Despite the frustration of a five-game losing streak, the Yankees finished the week with a 5-2 record and wrapped up the homestand successfully. They will have a day off tomorrow before embarking on a long road trip starting in Boston on Tuesday night. Luis Gil is scheduled to start the game at Fenway Park, with the first pitch set for 6:45pm Eastern time.
Box Score
