[ad_1]
Joey Gallo, meet life as a left-handed hitter at Yankee Stadium.
After a quiet first week since the Yankees picked him up in a trade, Gallo hosted his coming-out party Thursday night in the Bronx. With help from the short porch in right field, the batter skied a massive three-run homerun in the seventh inning to carry the Yankees to a 5-3 victory over the Mariners.
“I was thinking on the outfield, the 10-year-old me would be crying right now and not believing what’s going on,” said Gallo, who grew up as a Yankees fan.
Gallo’s first home run as a Yankee – wrapping up a huge night that also included a pair of doubles that scored from earlier rallies – seemed to never fall, but when it does, he barely scratched the wall along of the straight line.
The 331-foot special at Yankee Stadium, which was followed by a recall with 33,211 chanting Gallo’s name, turned a one-point deficit into a two-point lead as the Yankees (59-49) went opened a critical four-game streak against an AL wild-card contender in an emphatic fashion.
“I had a few friends from Texas text me and say, ‘Hey, that’s an F9 in Texas, that’s a withdrawal,’ said Gallo, the former Ranger. I was like, ‘Yeah, but we’re not in Texas anymore.’ … Hopefully there are many more this year.
“Hit him in the perfect spot,” added manager Aaron Boone.
On a day that started with the Yankees scoring positive COVID-19 test results from Gary Sanchez – their third of the week – they went to a high of 10 out of 0.500 games with their eighth win in the last 10 games.
The Mariners (58-52) arrived in the Bronx one game behind the Yankees in the wild card race, with both teams trailing track and field for last place. With the win, the Yankees found themselves within a game and a half of the inactive A’s.
Gallo put the finishing touches on his night by capturing a flying ball on the warning lane in left field to help Aroldis Chapman – who allowed three balls against the five batters he faced – escape the ninth sleeve with runners stuck in the corners.
“It definitely scared us,” Boone said.
Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton helped make Gallo’s home run possible, extending the seventh inning with back-to-back singles with two outs and two strikes against former Mets reliever Paul Sewald.
Gallo’s moon shot came in the half inning after former Mets prospect Jarred Kelenic also took to the short porch to give the Mariners a 3-2 lead with a solo homerun against Chad Green.
At the start of the day, Gallo was 2 for 23 with two doubles in six games as a Yankee, watching the acquisition of his colleague Anthony Rizzo having an instant impact. Thursday he joined in the fun.
“For me it was a matter of time [before] he really broke through and hit one out of the park, and a huge one at that, ”Boone said.
Facing Mariners left-hander Tyler Anderson, Gallo netted a brace in the second inning to move Stanton to third place so he could score on a sacrificial volley from Gleyber Torres for the 1-0 lead.
After the Mariners took a 2-1 lead over Nestor Cortes Jr. (five innings, two runs), Gallo led the fourth inning with another brace and eventually scored on a Kyle Higashioka bunt to equalize.
The Yankees got more production from Rizzo in the ninth inning – this time with his glove, scooping a pitch from third baseman Rougned Odor to register Chapman’s first out – but it was Gallo who left the mark. most memorable.
“I feel like I’ve been here for years now, by the way they trust me and believe in me,” said Gallo. “That’s what gives me confidence. I know I haven’t had a good first week, but they’re going to put me in there and keep playing, so I have to appreciate it.
[ad_2]
Source link