LOS ANGELES – Ryan Yarbrough moved with function throughout the sector throughout batting follow at Dodger Stadium on Friday afternoon, making an attempt to stay below the radar as he retraced his steps towards the guests’ clubhouse. The left-hander carried a 2024 World Sequence ring, the house workforce having quietly acknowledged the 67 1/3 innings he tossed for them early final season.
Yarbrough slipped the ring into his locker with out fanfare; few of his present teammates would care to see it displayed. The Yankees are extra excited about Yarbrough’s current than his previous, and the artful left-hander silenced one of many recreation’s most thunderous offenses on Sunday, serving to salvage the collection finale with a 7-3 victory at Dodger Stadium.
Limiting the Dodgers to Tommy Edman’s solo homer over six sharp innings, Yarbrough outpitched ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto in what appeared like a lopsided matchup on paper.
“I simply had a extremely good recreation plan going into it, seeing what they’ve accomplished rather well this collection,” Yarbrough stated. “I’m simply attempting to know what I do effectively and preserve them off stability. That was the largest factor.”
Yankees supervisor Aaron Boone has described Yarbrough as “a throwback,” whereas Ben Rice referred to as him “a pleasure to observe.” Each phrases match. The 33-year-old expertly modified speeds, altered arm angles and dotted corners in bettering to 3-0 with a 2.08 ERA (six earned runs in 26 innings) throughout 5 begins since being plugged into the Yanks’ rotation.
Providing a sellout crowd of 54,031 little to cheer about, Yarbrough generated 17 swings and misses, seven of which got here on his sweeper. Solely the Pirates’ Paul Skenes (18) has induced the Dodgers to swing and miss extra in a recreation this season — and suffice it to say, nobody is mistaking Yarbrough’s arsenal for Skenes’.
“He’s not going to gentle up the radar gun, however all his pitches really feel like they get on you,” stated DJ LeMahieu, who loved his first four-hit recreation since July 26, 2021, vs. Boston. “His fastballs appear like they get on you, and his offspeed seems additional sluggish. He’s simply a type of guys who has acquired good things. He is aware of what he’s doing on the market.”
That scouting report clicked within the residence clubhouse, too, the place Los Angeles’ Max Muncy stated Yarbrough’s supply made for a troublesome visible within the late afternoon shadows.
“He would possibly solely be throwing mid-80s, but it surely feels a lot more durable than that,” Muncy stated. “He’s a tall man; he’s acquired lengthy arms, so he’s acquired good extension. He’s acquired the funky supply with the low slot, so it at all times makes his ball really feel so much more durable than what it truly is.”
Rice’s two-run homer within the third inning highlighted the assault in opposition to Yamamoto, because the Yanks labored deep counts to drive up the right-hander’s pitch rely and knock him out of the sport after 3 2/3 innings — Yamamoto’s first time failing to finish 5 frames this season.
Jasson Domínguez delivered a first-inning RBI single as Yamamoto labored in a 28-pitch body, one during which the Yanks left the bases loaded. They’d have extra possibilities for injury; Rice slugged a dangling splitter a Statcast-projected 425 toes within the third, a big-boy blast that landed on the netting past the center-field wall.
Later within the body, Yamamoto bounced a wild pitch that allowed Anthony Volpe to trot residence with a fourth run. This was a model of Yamamoto the Yanks hadn’t but seen; a far cry from the hurler who handcuffed them to at least one hit over 6 1/3 innings in Sport 2 of the World Sequence.
“He’s a troublesome man to face; he’s acquired actually good command, good things,” Rice stated of Yamamoto. “I feel simply being aggressive to our zones helped us, and shedding a few of these pitchers’ pitches early.”
LeMahieu and Oswald Peraza added run-scoring singles within the fifth to pad the Yanks’ lead, serving to them conclude their West Coast journey on a optimistic notice after Los Angeles outscored them, 26-7, within the first two video games of the collection.
“After that mess of a recreation [Saturday], to come back again like we did confirmed so much,” LeMahieu stated.
Andy Pages and Muncy hit seventh-inning homers off Jonathan Loáisiga, however the Bombers’ bullpen completed it from there — even with out nearer Luke Weaver, who warmed up however was unable to seem resulting from hamstring discomfort that can require additional consideration in New York.
Boone acknowledged the “noise” surrounding this Fall Traditional rematch, and although they largely downplayed it as three video games in Could, the Yanks would have most popular a distinct end result. Even so, Boone opted to zoom out, applauding the membership’s 6-3 street journey that additionally included collection victories in Denver and Anaheim.
“This workforce has bounced again from no matter powerful losses we’ve had. We’ve had a handful of them within the first couple of months,” Boone stated. “They performed a extremely nice recreation to provide us a extremely good journey going again residence.”
