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If you missed this game because you had Friday night plans, you missed a wild one! There was a point early on where it looked like the Yankees might lose a blowout. In fact, the Yankees trailed 9-1 in the sixth inning. However, the offense was not ready to throw in the towel just yet. Instead, the Yankees mounted a thrilling comeback aided by home runs off the bats of Aaron Judge, Starlin Castro, and Jacoby Ellsbury. Castro’s two-run bomb tied the game and forced extra innings. In the tenth inning, Matt Holliday crushed a walk-off home run to improve the Yankees’ home record to 9-1.
It feels like forever ago, but CC Sabathia got the start tonight and the first two innings were smooth sailing. With two outs in the third inning, Joey Rickard singled softly down the third base line. Adam Jones worked a walk, and Manny Machado hit a two-run double over Ellsbury’s head. The Orioles tacked on two more runs in the fourth after Chris Davis was hit by a pitch, and Welington Castillo homered to right. Then Manny Machado hit a 470-foot bomb over the restaurant to make it a 5-0 game.
The Yankees finally got on the board in the fifth inning after Aaron Judge drilled his eighth home run of the season into the visitors’ bullpen. It looked like Sabathia might make it through the sixth inning, but Rickard dropped a two-out bunt that resulted in Sabathia diving onto his knees. Sabathia wasn’t able to get the out, though he appeared okay after the play. After giving up a single to Jones, Sabathia was lifted in favor of Bryan Mitchell who immediately walked Machado to load the bases. Mark Trumbo followed by hitting a grand slam to put the Orioles up 9-1.
In the bottom of the sixth, Holliday hit a leadoff double down the third base line, and Didi Gregorius drove in a run. Not to be outdone by Machado, Judge hit his second home run of the night right into Monument Park.
The Orioles moved ahead to 11-4 in the seventh, but the Yankees kept at it. After a leadoff single by Austin Romine, Headley doubled and Holliday walked to load the bases. With Vidal Nuno on the mound, Ellsbury proceeded to hit his first career grand slam to right field.
Brad Brach has pitched well for the Orioles in Zach Britton’s absence, but the Yankees were able to get to him tonight. Headley started things off with a leadoff walk, then advanced to third on Holliday’s single, and scored after Ellsbury hit a ball over Brach’s head. Only down two runs, Castro stepped up to the plate and launched a game-tying home run to left field.
The Orioles brought in Jayson Aquino in the bottom of the tenth, and he issued a leadoff walk to Aaron Hicks. Next up was Kyle Higashioka, who still hasn’t put together his first hit. He was prepared to drop a bunt, but instead he drew a walk. With two on and nobody out, Holliday crushed a ball into the bullpen to end a rollercoaster of a game. This was easily the best game of the season so far.
Michael Pineda will take on Ubaldo Jimenez tomorrow at 1:05 EST.