Vlad Goes Deep 3 Times
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
By Andrew Rosario
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
The New York Yankees were looking to carry over their momentum after shutting out the Toronto Blue Jays 4-0 Tuesday night after a strong starting performance as southpaw Nestor “Nasty” Cortes pitched 4.1 shutout innings. The Bombers sent their ace Gerrit Cole to the mound for his second start and once again, as he did against Boston, Cole gave up early long balls to Blue Jays first base slugger Vlad Guerrero Jr putting the Yanks in a early 3-0 hole.
New York would tie the game in the 5th inning as Anthony Rizzo and Aaron Judge hit back-to-back solo shots. Doubles by Josh Donaldson and DJ LeMahieu tied the game at 3. It didn’t last long as Guerrero hits his third homer of the game. This after Aaron Hicks accidentally stepped on Jr’s hand in the top of the second inning opening up a nasty gash. The medical staff patched him up and watched him hit the monster shots as well as a double in the sixth inning ending with 4 hits on the night. Said Guerrero through an interpreter after the accident, “I already had it in my mind I wasn’t coming out of the game.”
Cole’s (5.2 innings, 4 hits, 3 earned runs and 6 strikeouts) start was an improvement over his first start but he can’t continue to put his team behind the 8-ball before their first at bat. Cole has pitched 9.2 innings, giving up 8 hits and 6 home runs. Cole, who tipped his cap to Guerrero after the second home run could nothing else but give kudos to Guerrero saying, “it you had a cap, you’d tip it too.”
Both Rizzo and Judge paid homage to Guerrero. Said Rizzo, “when he’s got that swing going, he’s just better than everyone else. It doesn’t matter who’s on the mound.” Said Judge, “I wish it was against somebody else so I can watch on tv and didn’t have to see it live. That’s the type of player he is. He can take over a game. He’s going to be a tough opponent all year.”
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. did something his Hall of Fame dad never did in his illustrious career. Hit 3 home runs in one game. Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoya said of the player who finished second in last year’s MVP race, “it was a trailer last year. This year is the movie.”
The New York Yankees finished the series tonight before traveling to face the Orioles in Baltimore for their first road trip of the year
