NEW YORK – Gleyber Torres was 3-for-4 with a pair of two-out, two-strike RBI singles. This accounted for the New York Yankees’ first two runs in a 4-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on a misty, cool day in the Bronx at Yankee Stadium. Considering the game featured two of the best pitchers in baseball facing off against each other for the first time ever, it was essentially a pitcher’s duel. Neither Aaron Nola, for the Phillies, nor Gerrit Cole, for the Yanks, disappointed. The Phillies fall short in New York.
Nola
New York got to Nola early. The reigning American League MVP, Aaron Judge, singled with one out, then with two down, he stole second. Torres got down 0-2. After fouling a couple of balls off and working the count to two balls and two strikes, he got a broken-bat single down the left-field line to score Judge.
Nola pitched around a one-out double in the second inning and leadoff singles in the fourth and fifth. The latter was erased on a nice around-the-horn double play. It looked to be more of the same in the sixth after DJ LeMahieu got a lead-off double. Nola retired Judge and Anthony Rizzo, but Torres battled him, fouling off three pitches in a row before singling to center to make it 2-0.
Cole
Meanwhile, Cole was cruising. The Phillies, who came into the game with the second most hits in the National League, managed just three hits off of him in six-and-a-third innings. Two of the three hits were rubbed out on the basepaths. Trea Turner was picked off first to end the third, and Darick Hall was out trying to stretch a single into a double in the following inning. The only serious trouble Cole faced was in the fifth when he issued a pair of two-out walks.
By the time the only run charged to Cole was scored, he was out of the game. With one out in the seventh, he walked Nick Castellanos. Ball four came when Cole violated the new pitch clock, and that was the end of his day. Bryson Stott singled, and Alec Bohm was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Jake Cave lined to deep left to score Castellanos. Pinch hitter Josh Harrison hit the ball sharply down the third-base line, but Isiah Kiner-Falefa made the play. He raced to the bag to force Stott and end the Phillies’ threat.
Phillies Fall Short in New York
After Nola walked the final batter he faced to start the seventh, Gregory Soto came in to pitch. After recording a strike-out, he gave up a two-run home run to Jose Trevino, and it was 4-1. It was a strange outing for Soto. He struck out three, walked two, and allowed the long ball.
Kyle Schwarber, who homered in the eighth to finish the scoring, may be coming around as he hit the ball hard in two of his other at-bats. The Phillies fall short in New York.
Words From the Skipper
“I thought he pitched great,” said manager Rob Thomson of Nola, who threw six innings and allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out five. “He really located. His curveball was good. Other than LeMahieu’s double, they really didn’t hit a ball hard.”
“What’s going to get us used to the pitch clock is getting out there over and over in game situations,” said Nola when asked about working with a stopwatch during his between-starts bullpen session. “Early outs were key today which kind of helped with the clock.”
“It’s always good to be back home,” said Hall, who, no doubt, spoke for all of his teammates after their 1-5 start.
The Phillies will host the Cincinnati Red for their home opener on Thursday at 3:05.
NOTES
- Hall left the game with a right thumb sprain which occurred when he slid into second base on the play in the top of the fifth inning.
- Brandon Marsh was scratched from the lineup with a tender ankle which he turned on the warning track during Tuesday night’s game.
- Kevin Long, the Phillies hitting coach, was ejected in the fifth inning by home plate umpire Nic Lentz for arguing balls and strikes. Ironically, it was during the stretch when Phillies hitters walk in back-to-back at-bats.
Rock Hoffman has been covering sports in the Philadelphia region for over 30 years. He’s been the co-host of a radio show – SportsPage – on the Delaware Valley Radio Network (WRDV.org) in the time. He’s reported on games involving all the Philadelphia teams at the profession and collegiate levels. During his career he’s provided coverage for a Super Bowl, an All-Star Game, NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament games as well NFL, MLB and NHL playoff games. Additionally, he’s the College Football Editor for Football Stories Magazine (FootballStories.com).
