Imperfect Yankees throw MLBs 24th perfect game
This season thus far has been one of peaks and valleys for the Yankees, with more dips than consistent climbs as injuries, specifically outfielder Aaron Judge’s torn ligament in his right big toe, and the much-anticipated debut of prized free agent Carlos Rodon, who the Yankees signed to a six-year, $162 million deal in December. Judge has been out of the lineup since incurring the injury on June 3 and there is no definitive date for his return. He is hitting off a tee but is still unable to run.
“If I can run, then I can play. Me running at 10% ain’t going to help anybody out there,” said the reigning AL MVP on Tuesday.
Rodon, a lefty starter who spent his first seven seasons in the majors with the Chicago White Sox before going 14-8 with a 2.88 ERA for the San Francisco Giants last season, suffered a forearm strain in spring training, then had back issues that have kept him out up until now. The 30-year-old is scheduled to pitch his first regular season game for the team tomorrow versus the Chicago Cubs at Yankee Stadium.
Center fielder Harrison Bader’s three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning on Monday in the Bronx broke a 3-3 tie and gave the Yankees a 6-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles to take the first of a four-game series. The Yankees and rising young Orioles are battling in the tough American League East, with the Yankees beginning Tuesday’s Fourth of July matchup at 47-38. They were in third place and three games behind the second-place Orioles (49-34). The Tampa Bay Rays lead the division and were 57-30 when they began a three-games series on Tuesday at home against the Philadelphia Phillies.
On June 28, Domingo German added his name to the franchise’s long history of great pitching performances when he became the fourth Yankee ever to pitch a perfect game, shutting down the As in Oakland and carrying the team to an 11-0 victory. German struck out nine to join Don Larson (1956), David Wells (1998), and David Cone (1999) as the other Yankees who didn’t walk a batter or give up a hit in going the distance. It was MLB’s first perfect game since Seattle Mariners starter Felix Hernandez’s in 2012, a season that saw three perfect games.
The Yankees are still seeking their first World Series title since 2009. They have one of the top three payrolls in the league—a little over $284 million, according to Spotrac.com—and have been at or near the top over the past several decades, but the money spent has not produced desired results. The Yankees haven’t won the AL pennant since making their last World Series appearance in 2009, when they captured the franchise’s 27th MLB championship.
They have been ultra-competitive, winning more than 100 games the past six seasons with the exception of 2020’s shortened COVID year, in which there was only a 60-game regular season. In a recent interview on ESPN Radio, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner questioned why the team’s fans are already frustrated despite the Yankees being solidly in playoff contention. The main reason is because of the high expectations relative to the high payroll and long World Series drought. Fans are particularly upset about the Yankees’ inability to get past the Houston Astros, last year’s World Series winners, who eliminated the Yankees from the postseason in three of the past six seasons.
Clearly, there are valid arguments from both Steinbrenner’s and fans’ points of view.
The Yankees will end their series against the Baltimore Orioles tonight before taking on the Chicago Cubs at home for a three-game series this weekend before the All-Star break.
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