By Rich Mancuso / Sports Editor
Joe Girardi could smile and that is a change of pace. His New York Yankees erased a five-run deficit in the ninth inning and scored six runs in a 9-7 win over the Texas Rangers Wednesday night in the Bronx. The big blows were the game tying home run from Brian McCann and the first career walk-off hit and home run that Didi Gregorius smacked that landed deep into the right field seats.
It was a win the Yankees needed, perhaps one that could be a game changer and turn things around as they try and leave the Bronx and split a four-game series with Texas, a team with the best record in the American League.
But the Yankees have been a team of you never know this season. They have been at the .500 mark a few times, only to regress back below. They had a six-game winning streak in mid May and won four straight from the Angels. So the impact of this win was significant because the Yankees also avoided falling 10-games behind the first place Orioles in the AL East.
“A win we really had to fight for,” Girardi said.
It appeared that the Yankees were going to drop their third straight to the heavy hitting Rangers. Nomar Mazara hit a bases loaded double in the third inning off Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka that quickly gave starter NicK Martinez a 4-1 margin. Then the Texas bullpen, which has been reliable gave it away.
The Yankees were a smiling bunch again as they looked to thrive on this comeback win. For the Texas Rangers, they could afford a loss and regroup with realization this is baseball and the bullpen can’t always be perfect.
“Threw some quality pitches down in the zone and they got hit,” said Sam Dyson who blew his second save in 18 attempts. “I kind of came in and let everybody down.” Yes, it’s baseball and the Texas Rangers who have a commanding lead in the AL west could afford a loss.
The Yankees, they need the wins and most importantly, as Girardi keeps saying, winning series to get back in the race, though with almost a half a season complete they are still in the wild card picture.
So, you can’t fault the Yankees and their postgame game clubhouse for having that excitement.They have not got many wins like this one,and they look for the momentum to carry forth Thursday afternoon and for a long 10-game road trip that takes them to San Diego, Chicago and Cleveland before the all-star break.
Brian McCann who helped dig out of the deficit had his 13th multi-home run game said about the win:” It can be huge. We dug ourselves a hole early in April and we’re getting out of it right now.”
The positive signs are McCann hitting the homerun ball and that’s what the Yankees pay him a lot of money to do. Gregorius is also hitting .337 this month, with 14 runs and 17 RBI. But the deficit won’t go away unless the rest of this lineup is more consistent.
“I would say the biggest is yet to come,” Gregorius said. “I didn’t smile because I didn’t want to smile but as soon as I rounded third, see all the guys there, everybody cheering, I had to smile there,” he said about the game winner.
But the biggest remains to be seen for these New York Yankees. And it all comes from momentum that that Rangers have had this season and something the Yankees have been looking for.
“Well, it feels better and you hope it gives you some momentum,”Girardi said about a win he hopes can be a game changer for the season.
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