NEW YORK – If you didn’t know any better, you’d think the World Series would start on Friday night at Yankee Stadium. The crowd was loud and almost unbalanced (that’s a compliment), celebrities filled the fancy seats behind home plate, and more television networks broadcast the game in the United States and Japan than I care to count. It’s only June 7th, but it’s Dodgers vs. Dodger. Yankees in New York for the first time since 2016, and it’s a big deal.
“I think this is one of those regular-season series that’s going to have extra energy,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before Friday’s game. “You have these games, series, every now and then during the regular season, whether it be a big interleague series – Yankees-Dodgers – at different times, a big series with Boston, even London, Field of Dreams. games in a season that has a little more attention here, Friday night, summer is coming, Yankee Stadium is going to be rocking.
Friday’s game matches the atmosphere. The Yankees and Dodgers traded zeroes for 10 innings—Dodger fans were well represented in the Bronx and there was much applause for both teams after big outs were recorded—before Teoscar Hernández doubled in two runs in the top of the 11th, giving Los Angeles the leadership. The Dodgers ended up winning the game 2-1 (score).
“It was a great game,” Boone said after the loss. “You love it when you’re scoring and doing that, but it’s one of those — man, there were a lot of good pitches, good plays, tough hits. Both sides had some opportunities to advance, but failed. Just a very well played game, on both sides.”
The win improves the Dodgers to 40-25 and drops the Yankees to 45-20, which is still the best record in baseball. Here are three takeaways from the Yankees vs. Yankees series opener. Dodgers on Friday night at Yankee Stadium.
Yamamoto was sharp
With twelve starts in his MLB career, Yoshinobu Yamamoto has been almost everything the Dodgers hoped for when they signed him to a $325 million pact over the winter. He had a 3.32 ERA on Friday night – which includes his disastrous five-run showing and one loss in the Seoul Series – and got off to his best start with Los Angeles, holding the Yankees to two hits in seven innings of shutout.
“I was trying to stay calm and move forward one inning by inning. I was able to do that really well today,” she said. Yamamoto said through an interpreter after the game. “…I was locked in. My mechanics were really good today.”
The surest sign Yamamoto was prepared to face the team with the best record in baseball: 29 of his 106 pitches were recorded at 150 km/h or more. In his first 12 games, Yamamoto threw just three pitches – three! – at 157 km/h. His 97.0 mph fastball average on Friday was 1.7 mph higher than his season average. He also showed similar speed increases with his splitter and slider.
The Yankees were among the teams that aggressively pursued Yamamoto over the winter — their 10-year, $300 million offer was the highest average annual value available — so, yes, they thought he was the real deal, too, and it showed in Friday. Yamamoto was brilliant. He was and has been the ace that the Dodgers gave him the biggest pitching contract of all time.
New York’s rejected pitchers were excellent
Friday was a game of contrasts. The Dodgers sent their expensive ace to the mound and the Yankees countered with a parade of pitchers who had been rejected by other organizations. Before the automatic runner came into play in extra innings, five Yankees pitchers held the Dodgers to three hits and three walks over the first nine innings of the game. See this list:
Cody Poteet (4 2/3 scoreless innings): Signed a one-year contract over the winter after spending most of 2022 and 2023 recovering from Tommy John surgery with the Marlins and Royals. He is replacing the injured Clarke Schmidt.
Victor González (2/3 scoreless innings): Acquired in a small trade with the Dodgers in December. Los Angeles needed to clear a 40-man roster spot for Shohei Ohtani and trading González is how they opened it. The two met in the fifth inning and González got Ohtani to first base with two runners on and two outs.
Michael Tonkin (1 2/3 scoreless innings): A waiver claim already on his third team in 2024 (Mets to Twins back to Mets to Yankees). Tonkin got Mookie Betts to first base with a runner on second base to end the seventh inning and let out a roar. Both sides played with a lot of emotion.
Caleb Ferguson (1 scoreless inning): Another ex-Dodger. Los Angeles needed to make room in the bullpen after re-signing Ryan Brasier and Ferguson, who will become a free agent after the season, was the roster casualty. He retired Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Will Smith in the eighth.
Clay Holmes (1 scoreless inning): The Yankees placed Holmes in a small trade with the Pirates at the 2021 deadline and he has since emerged as one of the best relievers in the game. With Pittsburgh, he had a 5.57 ERA in 119 2/3 innings. With the Yankees, Holmes has a 2.32 ERA in 183 innings. He has been brilliant in stripes.
The Yankees lost Friday’s game, but pitching wasn’t the problem. These five guys were dropped by other organizations and acquired in much smaller trades, and they have combined to give the Yankees 99 2/3 innings of 2.35 ERA ball in 2024. New York has become one of the best in the business in coaching. pitchers and that skill was on full display on Friday.
Soto was bait
For the Yankees, more important than Friday’s result is the Juan Soto news. Soto has inflammation in his forearm and is on a daily basis. He has battled forearm discomfort over the past week and left Thursday’s game after a long rain delay, then went in for testing on Friday. All things considered, inflammation is good news. It could have been something much worse.
“Good news,” Boone said of Soto’s injury before Friday’s game. “Obviously, waiting for those results — I think in the grand scheme of things, we have good news. Just inflammation there. We’re going to start some meds and now treat it like everyday.”
Despite the diagnosis, Soto was spotted at the top of the dugout stairs holding a bat several times during the game. Boone indicated that Soto could be available at tackle as early as Friday night – “He might even be a late-game option. Who knows?” he said Friday afternoon — and he certainly looked ready to pinch several times.
Soto never pinch-hit, although there were several opportunities to do so. He was bait all night. Boone confirmed this after the game. He was someone who made the Dodgers think even more about using the bullpen. And given where we are in the season — it’s June 7 — it’s smart not to pressure Soto. The last thing the Yankees need is for him to worsen his forearm injury.
“He was, I think, feeling the moment a little bit,” Boone said of Soto standing on the top step with a bat.
As Boone said, there is a chance Soto plays this weekend. It depends on how he feels in the coming hours and days. Is very bad. Friday night was a great game with an electric atmosphere. It would be great to have Soto on the field and both teams at full strength. He is one of the sport’s great showmans.
Next
This three-game weekend series continues with the midgame on Saturday night. Lefty Nestor Cortes (3-4, 3.46 ERA) and right-hander Gavin Stone (6-2, 2.90 ERA) are the scheduled starting pitchers. Nasty Nestor’s home/road splits this season are extreme: a 1.12 ERA and 6.7 innings per start at Yankee Stadium, and a 6.17 ERA and 5.0 innings per start on the road. The Yankees hope that trend continues as they look to even up the series on Saturday.
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