The Yankees lineup finally woke up. After weeks of grinding out runs like it was 1904, they exploded for eight hits and two home runs on Saturday. This 5-4 win over the Braves in front of 45,222 fans proves the offense is alive. According to reports, the team needed this badly after scoring more than five runs just four times in their last 45 games. To maintain their lead over the Red Sox for the premier wild-card position, the 66-51 Yankees now attempt to sweep the NL East leaders. Gerrit Cole got the win, but he did not do it alone.
Cole pitched seven innings and gave up two runs, which is a solid line for him. However, the Braves scored two runs in the fifth inning to take a 2-1 lead. That is when the rookie class stepped up. Spencer Jones and George Lombard Jr. combined for 4-for-6 hitting with two walks and three runs scored. Per reports, Jones hit an RBI triple that tied the game right after the Braves took the lead. Lombard then walked twice and hit a solo home run in the seventh. Ben Rice ended his 11-game home run drought with a deep shot in the eighth. The rest of the lineup went 4-for-24, but those rookies carried the load.
The Balk That Broke the Braves
The game turned on a single play that made the Braves manager furious. In the bottom of the fifth, ace Chris Sale was called for a balk with Austin Wells at the plate. Spencer Jones was permitted to trot home with the go-ahead run thanks to this. Sale threw his arms up in disgust and argued with umpire Dan Merzel. The New York Post reported that Braves manager Walt Weiss joined the argument and took off his hat before getting ejected. Weiss was tossed from the game in his first season as the skipper. Sale was not ejected and pitched six innings total, but the loss of his manager clearly hurt the team’s composure. The Braves blew a 2-0 lead on Friday and lost in the 10th, and this loss on Saturday continues a rough weekend for the division leaders. (more on that in Yankees Rookies Deliver Big While Braves Manager Gets Ejected)
Rookies Are The Real Story
People keep talking about Cole’s ERA or the pitching staff’s 1.67 ERA over the last 11 games. That is fine, but the real story is the kids. Spencer Jones and George Lombard Jr. are untested, yet they have undeniable ability. They finished with a combined triple, a homer, and three RBIs. A team that has struggled to score for over a month does not need a perfect game to win. They just need someone to hit the ball. The Yankees will not apologize for winning on a balk. In fact, they should celebrate it. It shows they can find any way to get the job done. The Braves had Chris Sale, the 2024 Cy Young Award winner, on the mound. The Yankees had a rookie who walked twice and a rookie who hit a triple. The result speaks for itself.
Sunday Will Tell The Tale
The Yankees now face a chance to sweep the series against the best team in the NL East. They will try to do it on Sunday to remain in front of the Red Sox. The pressure is on the Braves to stop this losing streak. The Yankees have seen 18 of their past 24 games decided by one or two runs. They know how to win close games. The offense is no longer play-acting like it is the Dead Ball Era. They are swinging their way into the Modern Era. Can the rookies keep it up? Can Cole keep pitching like this? We find out on Sunday. Did the balk call change the entire series?
