"It happens. That’s baseball" - Aaron Judge backs Luis Gil after Orioles get payback against Yankees ace in Bronx drubbing
New York Yankees rookie Luis Gil's impeccable pitching record came to a stuttering halt after a rude awakening against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday. Gil was chased out of the game after just 1.1 innings as the Orioles cashed in on the Yankees ace for seven earned runs over eight hits.
Luis Gil emerged as one of the best pitchers in the division after the Yankees rookie was given the opportunity from the mound in Gerrit Cole's absence at the start of the season.
But the rookie was taken around the park by the Orioles hitters at Yankee Stadium in the rubber game of the series. Gil's horrid outing also ended the franchise's impressive streak of 76 games where the starting pitcher went more than four innings.
Despite the rookie's underwhelming output from the mound, Yankees captain Aaron Judge backed Gil (via MLB.com):
“It happens. That’s baseball. You are going to have those outings like that. [Gil] has been so huge in our success throughout the season. Every five days, [you] check the [box score and you see] 10 K’s for seven innings. Days like this happen.”
Judge contributed to his team's cause with a league-leading 27th home run of the season. But the former MVP's effort was dwarfed by the Orioles hitters, buoyed by a six-run second inning, to seal an emphatic 17-5 victory, and with it the series.
Orioles hitters get payback against Luis Gill in rubber game
Luis Gil's rout on Thursday was a stark contrast to his performance against the Orioles at Camden Yards earlier in the season. In his last game against the Orioles on May 2, the Yankees ace went scoreless over 6.1 innings, conceding just two hits in his team's win.
Orioles designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn highlighted Gil's previous outing against the team and asserted the plans the Baltimore side hatched against the Yankees' best starter this season (via MLB.com):
“He got us last time at home, but I think we just had a good game plan going in, trying to make sure we got him in the zone and kind of [hit] low line drives and pass the bat to the next guy and at least not trying to hit home runs," O'Hearn said.
The Bronx Bombers (51-26) will hope for an improved performance from their rotation when they take on the Atlanta Braves (41-31) on Friday to start their next three-game series. Notably, the Orioles (49-25) are just a half-game behind the AL East leaders.