Yankees 4, Twins 3: Gary Sanchez saves the day with a walk-off three-run home run

Most of this game was focused on the no-hitter that Kyle Gibson took into the sixth inning against the Yankees. Thankfully that was avoided, and instead the team decided to walk things off in the ninth inning after an agonizing day of baseball. This victory gives them the four-game sweep and puts them on a six-game winning streak as they head to California to face the Angels.

At one point, Gibson looked unbeatable. He struck out a total of 10 batters and allowed only three hits and two walks through six innings. By the fourth inning, the Yankees only managed to get two walks, and it wasn’t until the sixth that Brett Gardner collected the team’s first hit. Once Gibson left the game, the Twins bullpen gave the Yankees the opening to come back from a 3-0 deficit.

Jordan Montgomery threw a lot of pitches in the first few innings, which made it surprising that he got through five. Despite his inability to pitch economically, Montgomery still managed to keep the Twins at bay while the offense languished. He struck out six batters but allowed two runs on four hits and three walks. The big blow came in the third inning when Eduardo Escobar knocked a two-run home run just out of the reach of Giancarlo Stanton in right field.

After Montgomery left the game, Domingo German was called on to pitch three innings. Overall, he allowed four hits and a walk while striking out three, but Robbie Grossman managed to homer off him to sink the Yankees even further. Dellin Betances struck out the side in the ninth inning, which was a nice change of pace from his recent struggles.

The conversation around the offense really only picks up in the later innings. By the seventh, Gibson was gone and the Yankees managed to get on the board. Giancarlo Stanton doubled and then advanced to third on a wild pitch. This allowed him to score on an Aaron Hicks sac fly. They challenged in the eighth, but it all came down to the ninth against Fernando Rodney. Down by two with only three outs to go, it looked like it was game over, but it seems the Yankees had the Twins right where they wanted them.

Didi led off and reached on a throwing error by third baseman Miguel Sano. He also advanced to second after the ball went into the stands. Stanton managed to reach on an infield hit, making Gary Sanchez the winning run at the plate. He ended the suspense rather quickly by blasting Rodney’s second pitch deep down the left field line to give the Yankees the lead and the walk-off win.

Gardner managed to collect a hit and a walk, Aaron Judge had two walks, and Aaron Hicks and Gleyber Torres both had hits. It all worked out in the end, but things could have been way worse with a more competent bullpen. The team also didn’t do themselves any favors by committing two more errors on the season. Gary Sanchez dropped a popup and Aaron Hicks bobbled a ball that allowed the runner to advance. Neither errors ended up costing the team in the end, but this is a trend that needs to end.

The Yankees will face the Angels tomorrow night at 10:07 PM in what will be an important early-season series. We will also have to deal with late night games for the next three days.

Box Score.