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Kyle Higashioka went 0-for-5 on Friday night and left seven men on base, but his work behind the plate still helped the Yankees to a 3-2 11-innings victory over the Mariners at the stadium.
Starting a third day in a row for only the third time in his career – with Gary Sanchez on the COVID-19 injured list – Higashioka navigated a game plan while catching nine different pitchers, which combined to only grant only one point earned in a bullpen game for the Yankees.
“It’s a big story in this area,” said manager Aaron Boone. “Power [be] ready with the game plan and executing it, his reception was great. It still is, but it was particularly visible tonight.
Higashioka also participated with his arm. After Chad Green cleared the go-ahead in the 10th inning, he and Higashioka combined for a double strike-’em-out, throw-’em-out game to reduce JP Crawford to second base while Mitch Haniger sniffled.
Even before catching all 11 innings on Friday, Higashioka was scheduled to take time off on Saturday as the Yankees watch his workload in Sanchez’s absence.
“We will take this into account and ensure that Rob [Brantly] there too to share that burden with him, ”said Boone.
Higashioka temporarily supplanted Sanchez as the Yankees’ starting receiver at the end of last season and again early this year before the former cooled and the latter warmed up. But Higashioka still has to cope with a busy schedule. He had only started two consecutive days twice this season before this week.
The only other times Higashioka started for more than two days in a row were three in a row in the 2020 ALDS and four in a row in 2018, while Sanchez suffered an injury.
“It’s never a good thing when someone falls, with COVID or an injury,” Higashioka said. “I will graciously accept any opportunity that comes my way, but most of all, I hope Gary is feeling well.”
Having never played third base in the first 925 games of his big-league career, Rougned Odor started in the hot corner for a fifth straight game on Friday night. Pressed for the job due to Gio Urshela’s strained hamstrings, Odor had been flawless in his first four games there while starting to feel comfortable.
Odor worked on third base during Rangers’ spring training, and Boone said the experience helped the Yankees try to keep DJ LeMahieu on second due to a recently strained triceps.
“I think he held on there,” Boone said. “I still think it’s just a matter of getting that gaming experience where he will continue to better understand how you do certain games there.”
“I still think it’s just a matter of getting that gaming experience where he will continue to better understand how you do certain games there.”
The Yankees’ playoff hopes were boosted across the country on Friday. Center outfielder Ramon Laureano was suspended for 80 games after testing positive for performance-enhancing drug Nandrolone. Laureano was hitting .246 with 14 home runs, 112 OPS-plus and 12 interceptions as one of the most important players for the A’s, who came in on top of the Yankees by 1 and a half games for the last wildcard AL spot on Friday. .
RHP Clarke Schmidt (sprained elbow), who said after a rehab start Thursday for Double-A Somerset that he believed he could come out of the major league hitters now, will make another start on Tuesday for Somerset or Triple-A Scranton / Wilkes -Rod. … The Yankees had no news on the COVID-19 front Friday after Sanchez, Gerrit Cole and Jordan Montgomery tested positive earlier in the week.
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