Gary Sanchez Homers As New York Sweeps Baltimore In Final Meeting Of The Season
The final meeting of the season between New York who is leading the American League East and Baltimore who is last in the division took place on Wednesday in the Bronx with New York coming out on top and earning a sweep thanks to their starting catcher Gary Sanchez.
Sanchez belted his 10th home run off Baltimore pitching to power a 6-5 victory and complete a four-game series sweep on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium. The Bombers backstop joined his fellow Bird basher Torres (13) as the second pair of teammates in franchise history to slug double-digit homers against a single opponent. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-win-16th-straight-vs-orioles
The funny thing about that is that we're not thinking about records or anything like that," Sanchez said through a translator. "We're trying to go out there to have good at-bats, just hit the ball as best as we can. We've got good results, but we're never thinking about records." “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-win-16th-straight-vs-orioles
The Yankees turned on the clubhouse fog machine and held a family picnic on the infield grass to celebrate their rewriting of the history books, concluding the season series with 16 consecutive victories over Baltimore, their longest single-season streak since winning 21 straight over the 1927 St. Louis Browns. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-win-16th-straight-vs-orioles
By going 17-2 against the O's, it represented the Yanks' best showing since they won 17 of 22 against the Kansas City Athletics in 1959. They also established a Major League record by belting 61 home runs against a single opponent, having homered in all 19 games against Baltimore. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-win-16th-straight-vs-orioles
I think it’s a little fluky, a little crazy to win that many games against a team, especially after we dropped a couple in the first series against them," manager Aaron Boone said. "To have that kind of run, things have got to line up a little bit for you, but it’s also a credit to our guys and the quality team that we are." “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-win-16th-straight-vs-orioles
The Orioles can rest easier until next March 26, when Sanchez, Torres and company are scheduled to don their road grays and trot to the third-base line for the Opening Day festivities in Baltimore. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-win-16th-straight-vs-orioles
"We don’t have to play them anymore [this year], so I guess that’s a good thing," Orioles starter Dylan Bundy said. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-win-16th-straight-vs-orioles
New York starter J.A. Happ spotted the O's a first-inning run, but Didi Gregorius tied the game with a run-scoring single and Sanchez gave his club the lead with a three-run homer that rocketed over the center-field wall. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-win-16th-straight-vs-orioles
The blast linked Sanchez and Torres alongside the Murderer's Row duo of Ruth and Gehrig, who each mashed 11 home runs off Red Sox pitchers in 1927. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-win-16th-straight-vs-orioles
"It's wild to put that in perspective that way, when you say those names," Happ said. "I think it just shows how locked in they can be. That's always good to see for us. We'll try to carry that over. I'm sure those guys will take that confidence over into their next ABs and our next series." “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-win-16th-straight-vs-orioles
Happ picked up the win, limiting Baltimore to two runs over five innings, and Mike Ford contributed a two-run single in the sixth. Luis Cessa allowed three runs, but Adam Ottavino, Zack Britton and Aroldis Chapman made the lead hold up as the Yankees improved to a season-high 40 games over .500 (81-41). “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-win-16th-straight-vs-orioles
"It's been fun to be a part of," Aaron Judge said. "It doesn't matter who we're playing when we go out there, we're giving them our best. Our pitching has stepped up, and our hitters one through nine, we've got guys who can go up there and do damage. It's a tough lineup to try to get through. It's relentless." “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-win-16th-straight-vs-orioles
As the afternoon progressed, another hallowed name emerged from Monument Park, where Sanchez's homer landed. Torres also legged out a sixth-inning double, becoming the first Yankee to record 17 extra-base hits against one opponent in a single season since Mickey Mantle had 18 extra-base hits against the 1957 White Sox. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-win-16th-straight-vs-orioles
“They're a couple of great young players that not only have already done a lot in this game, but the future is very bright and they’re going to do a lot of special things like that," Boone said of Sanchez and Torres. "It just so happens that they’ve had really good results against the Orioles this year, and maybe in years to come it’ll be somebody else." “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-win-16th-straight-vs-orioles
And to that, the rest of the American League may have gulped. New York completed the season series batting .303/.386/.632 against the Orioles, scoring 151 runs -– their second-most against an opponent in the divisional era (since 1969), only trailing the 154 runs that the 2017 squad put up against Baltimore. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-win-16th-straight-vs-orioles
"For us as a team, it doesn't matter who we're playing, we're going to go out there to win," Sanchez said. "We've gotten really good results against Baltimore, but at the same time, it doesn't matter. We go out there to play hard and play to win." “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-win-16th-straight-vs-orioles
Meanwhile Baltimore had a setback in the season finale against New York.
When the Orioles left Yankee Stadium in late March, they did so jubilant, early-season winners of two of three hard-fought games against the heavily favored Yankees. When they packed up and headed north Wednesday afternoon, they waved good riddance to the Big Apple until 2020. That opening series aside, they won’t miss it. “according to https://www.mlb.com/orioles/news/orioles-lose-2019-season-series-finale-vs-yankees
That’s because the Yankees spent the rest of 2019 acting historically unfriendly to the rebuilding Orioles, who departed the Bronx having dropped 16 straight to New York after Wednesday's 6-5 defeat. The latest officially eliminated Baltimore from American League East contention and ensured a third straight losing season. “according to https://www.mlb.com/orioles/news/orioles-lose-2019-season-series-finale-vs-yankees
“It doesn’t feel great,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “It’s not a good feeling walking out of here having lost that many in a row to them.” “according to https://www.mlb.com/orioles/news/orioles-lose-2019-season-series-finale-vs-yankees
It came courtesy of an uneven start from Dylan Bundy, who was charged with six runs despite retiring 16 of 17 at one point. Gary Sanchez bookended that stretch with a three-run homer in the first and two-out single in the sixth, after which Mike Ford lashed a two-run single off reliever Richard Bleier. “according to https://www.mlb.com/orioles/news/orioles-lose-2019-season-series-finale-vs-yankees
“Just trying to get weak contact and pitching inside more than I have in the past,” Bundy said. “They lean out over the plate all the time, and when you’re making quality pitches and they’re getting homers and singles and doubles off them, you’ve got to get them off the plate with a purpose.” “according to https://www.mlb.com/orioles/news/orioles-lose-2019-season-series-finale-vs-yankees
In between the hits off Bundy, the Orioles created traffic in four of five innings but managed just two runs off winner J.A. Happ, notably stranding the bases loaded against him in the first. That proved even more significant later when Renato Núñez (career-high five hits, two-run double) and Jonathan Villar (two RBIs) helped the Orioles rally for three seventh-inning tallies on Luis Cessa and Adam Ottavino. Nunez’s fifth hit of the afternoon -- on a 102.2-mph Aroldis Chapman fastball -- brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth before Chapman struck out Villar to end the game. “according to https://www.mlb.com/orioles/news/orioles-lose-2019-season-series-finale-vs-yankees
“I like the way we fought today,” Hyde said. “I thought we competed. I loved how we came back. We’re just a little short at times.” “according to https://www.mlb.com/orioles/news/orioles-lose-2019-season-series-finale-vs-yankees
Nunez singled four times and doubled to notch his first five-hit game in the Majors and fourth over parts of nine professional seasons. He is the first Oriole with a five-hit game in exactly three years, since Matt Wieters on Aug. 14, 2016, against the Giants. “according to https://www.mlb.com/orioles/news/orioles-lose-2019-season-series-finale-vs-yankees
“It’s amazing to do it and amazing to do it at Yankee Stadium against such good pitchers,” Nunez said. “Everybody here battles, even if we’re losing by a lot or it’s a game like today. Everybody is in the game, supportive. I think that’s the mindset you have to have for a good team.” “according to https://www.mlb.com/orioles/news/orioles-lose-2019-season-series-finale-vs-yankees
Consider it indicative of the optimistic culture the Orioles have tried to cultivate in preparation for when they are in contention again. If nothing else, their 19-game 2019 slate against the Yankees served as a sobering reminder that it will take time, and that time can sometimes come with shouldering struggles of record proportions. “according to https://www.mlb.com/orioles/news/orioles-lose-2019-season-series-finale-vs-yankees
Their 16-game losing streak vs. New York is the Orioles’ second longest vs. a single opponent since they dropped 17 straight to Cleveland in 1954, their first year in Baltimore. Sanchez’s homer was his 10th in just 14 contests against Baltimore this season -- only Gleyber Torres (13 this year) and Aaron Judge (11 in 2017) have ever compiled more in a season against the O’s. He and Torres became the second pair of teammates to compile double-digit homers against one opponent in the same season, joining Babe Ruth (11) and Lou Gehrig (11) against the 1927 Red Sox. As a team, the Orioles surrendered a MLB-record 61 homers to the Yankees this season. “according to https://www.mlb.com/orioles/news/orioles-lose-2019-season-series-finale-vs-yankeeshttps://www.mlb.com/orioles/news/orioles-lose-2019-season-series-finale-vs-yankees
“We don’t have to play them anymore,’ Bundy said. “So I guess that’s a good thing.” “according to https://www.mlb.com/orioles/news/orioles-lose-2019-season-series-finale-vs-yankees