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New York Yankees: Bullpen Holds as they Beat Twins

By TJ Wengert

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JULY 18: Aaron Judge
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JULY 18: Aaron Judge /
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New York Yankees
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – JULY 18: Gary Sanchez /

The New York Yankees are in an important battle with the Minnesota Twins. They got a much needed win with strong help from the bullpen.

The New York Yankees took on the Minnesota Twins for game two of a three game series. The two two teams are battling each other for the second Wild Card spot in the AL, as the Yankees came in leading the Twins by half a game.

A beautiful night at Target Field played host to the pitching match up of Luis Cessa for the Yankees, and Bartolo Colon for the Twins, making his first start for the club.

In Colon’s first inning as a Twin, pitched a nine pitch, 1-2-3 inning. Then moving to the bottom of

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the first, Cessa got into trouble after walking the first two hitters.

Joe Maur came up to the plate and grounded into a fielder’s choice, followed by Miguel Sanó getting plunked on the first pitch, which loaded the bases. Then with two outs, Cessa walked Robbie Grossman to give the Twins a 1-0 lead.

Fast forward now to the bottom of the third, where Sanó got his revenge on Cessa. Crushing the 0-1 offering out into the Yankees bullpen in left center, traveling approximately 432 feet, for his 22nd homer on the season.

The Yankees would answer back in the top of the fourth. The inning got started with a Aaron Judge single into left field, and after a Matt Holiday fly out, an infield single from DiDi Gregorius. Clint Frazier then grounded into a fielder’s choice, giving the Yankees runners at first and third with two

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outs. Then Chase Headley came up, and drove a single back up the middle to put the Yankees on the board.

Not to be outdone, the Twins got going in the bottom of the fourth with a one out double from Jason Castro. Brian Dozier would then drive in Castro with a triple out to right center field. Cessa would get Granite out, and then be pulled after three and two thirds innings, with four walks and two strikeouts. In came Chasen Shreve, and he retired Maur for the final out of the fourth.

The action would continue in the top of the fifth as Ronald Torreyes lead the inning off with a single to left. Followed by a ground rule double by Brett Gardner and a double from Gary Sanchez, tying the game up at 3 a piece.

And that would be the end of Bartolo Colon’s night, as he went four innings, giving up three run on eight hits, and had three strikeouts. In game Ryan Presssly to face the “ruined because of the Home Run Derby” Aaron Judge, who would drive home Sanchez on a single back up the middle.

Pressly then struck out Matt Holiday, but would then give up his seventh home run on the year to Gregorius, his 12th of year, traveling 390 feet. The inning would only see two more batters, and end with the Yankees up 6-3.

Onto the bottom of the fifth, Sano leads it off with a double to left, followed by Max Kepler’s single into right. Shreve then buckled down and struck out the next two batters, and get Jorge Polanco to pop out to Garrett Cooper, getting himself out of the jam.

The game then went on cruise control and both team’s bullpens took control of the game. Dellin Betances would hold the lead in eighth and Chapman would close it down in the ninth, as the Yankees would win on a final score of 6-3.

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Yankees fans should definitely liked what they got out of the bullpen tonight, as they worked for a total of five and a third innings of no run baseball.

The Yankees will look to capture the series with a win in tomorrow’s rubber match game, which is set for a 1:10 first pitch.

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