Yankees News Today: Yanks bounce back vs Mariners with dominant win in Game 3; DJ LeMahieu set to return for Angels series; Juan Soto's multi-homer performance receives 'MVP' chants from fans
The New York Yankees have been in top form ever since the start of the season. They have been at the top of their division for the better part of the season so far. Their charismatic start has revived the hope of a World Series victory this year in the hearts of all the loyal and devoted supporters, especially after last season's disastrous performance.
Fans are now really expecting Aaron Boone and team to extend their season beyond October, reach the postseason and hopefully be the World Series champions, which they have longed for since lifting the trophy last time in 2009. Here is a look into the club's latest update:
Yanks bounce back on Mariners with a dominant win in Game 3
The Yankees finally bounced back in front of their home crowd on Wednesday as they thrashed the Mariners to a 7-3 victory. This victory comes after two consecutive losses against the M's since Monday.
Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo dominated the hitting department for the Yanks. The team's captain hit the first homer in the first inning of the match, along with Anthony Volpe, who also scored a run in that inning.
After that, in the third inning, it was Soto who opened his account and hit his first homer of the game and Volpe partnered the three-time All-Star by scoring his second run in the third inning. In the sixth inning, Soto's second homer of the game, this time towards the left field of the field, helped the Yankees extend their lead further to 0-5.
However, the Mariners tried to turn things around in the eighth inning after Cal Raleigh hit a home run off the right field. Mitch Garver and J.P. Crawford scored to cut down the Yanks lead to 6-3. Finally, to top things off for the Bombers, Verdugo hit a homer towards the right field and Judge scored in the eighth inning to seal the first victory of this series.
Apart from the hitting department, the pitching department of the Yankees worked tirelessly as well. Nestor Cortes, who started things off for the team in Wednesday's game, went scoreless for the second time in this series. He pitched five innings and conceded no runs, just two walks and had six strike outs under his belt.
Another mentionable name from the pitching department who went scoreless in just one inning that he pitched was Tommy Kahnel.
This dominating victory would surely be a morale booster in the team's club house and Aaron Boone would surely like his team to repeat this performance in the final installment of this series on Thursday at 12.35 p.m. EDT at the Yankees stadium.
DJ LeMahieu set to return for Angels' series
The Yankees have been one of the unluckiest teams when it comes to losing players due to injury. The New York-based club, since the start of the season, has been missing out on top players from their squad like Gerrit Cole and DJ LeMahieu. However, now things seem to be getting back on track for the team in this area.
According to MLB insider Bryan Hoch, the All-Star IF is current on his rehab assignments. He is scheduled to play a few more of those and then will be joining the team at Anaheim as they face Angels for a three-game series starting at 9:38 p.m. EDT.
LeMahieu is yet to start his 2024 season in the big leagues with the Yankees. He suffered a scary leg injury during the team's spring training. However, after almost two months since the start of the regular season, the 35-year-old veteran star is getting closer to his season debut and would surely be an asset for Boone's side, especially with a dominant hitting line.
Juan Soto's multi-homer performance receives 'MVP' chants from fans
Last night was Juan Soto's second multi-homer night of the season. So far, he has been nothing short of brilliant in this season and every time the team needed him, he has proved his worth.
After hitting his second homer last night, fans were ecstatic to see their favorite star in his red-hot form. 'MVP' chants were heard all over the stadium.
Soto, when asked about these chants in the post-match interview, said he was quite obliged about them. However, being the most valuable player of the American League is still a bit away, as a big chunk of the season is yet to be played.
"I still think it’s way too early. Well definitely, it’s fine. You know, it’s fun to see those fans going added every day. They’ve been day in day out sharing for us no matter what and it’s really fun to see those guys out there."
The Dominican Republic star has been in form. This season, he has played 51 games in pinstripes and in 195 at-bats, he has a batting average of .313, along with an OPS of .979. He also has 40 RBIs and 13 HRs. If he performs in similar fashion, he will surely be one of the major contenders for the AL MVP this season.