Yankees rookie Luis Gil stymies Angels over eight innings after Aaron Boone ejected early in victory

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Luis Gil found a way Wednesday night to completely overshadow Aaron Boone’s first-inning ejection stemming from a bizarre interference play in the top of the first.

The rookie righthander, who forced his way into the Yankees rotation as Gerrit Cole’s de facto replacement with an overpowering final three starts of the spring, not only has thrived in the role and helped the rotation to collectively put up otherworldly numbers — Gil may well match a Cole accomplishment from a year ago: American League starter for the All-Star Game.

Though the Yankees offense didn’t manage much, Gil lowered his season ERA to 1.99 after allowing one run and two hits in a career-high eight innings of a 2-1 victory over the Angels in front of 34,313 at Angel Stadium.

“I don’t think anyone’s really surprised within the clubhouse, within the organization,” Volpe, who extended his hitting streak to 21 games with a first-inning single, said of Gil. “But, I mean, the level he’s doing it and against the lineups he’s doing it against, I think we’re all just blown away.”

Alex Verdugo’s eighth homer of the season, a solo shot in the fourth, gave the Yankees (38-19) a 1-0 lead.

The 25-year-old Gil, who walked two and struck out eight, was a model of pitch efficiency, sitting at 56 pitches through four, 66 pitches through five and, after a four-pitch sixth, 70 pitches through six.

Gil’s most dominant inning was the fourth when he struck out the side — Willie Calhoun, a Yankee last season, swinging at a 97-mph fastball; Logan O’Hoppe swinging at a 98-mph fastball and Joe Adell swinging at a slider.

“Am I fully 100% surprised? I’m not,” Gil, who went nearly two years (2022-24) between throwing pitches in the Majors because of Tommy John surgery, said through his interpreter. “And the reason why is because it took a lot of dedication and a lot of work to get here. When you’re able to command pitches out there, really good things happen.”

Volpe, carrying the longest hitting streak by a Yankee since Robinson Cano’s 23-game streak in 2012, tripled in the seventh and scored on the same play as second baseman Luis Rengifo’s threw wildly to third, making it 2-0.

O’Hoppe, from Sayville and a graduate of St. John the Baptist, tagged Gil in the seventh, taking a 0-and-1 changeup over the wall in right-center, his sixth homer making it 2-1.

Clay Holmes, who blew the save Tuesday night in a 4-3 loss, nearly blew another one, but got a double play ball after the first two batters reached, en route to his 16th save.

The Yankees loaded the bases with none out in the first before a dose of weirdness infiltrated the evening. Giancarlo Stanton sent a sky-high pop that started coming down near second base. An infield fly was called and Soto, as he tried to step back on second, saw Zach Neto bang into him as the shortstop tried to make the catch.

Second base umpire, and crew chief, Vic Carapazza called Soto out for interference, making it a double play. An incensed Boone, after the four umpires conferred briefly, was soon ejected by Carapazza, the manager’s third ejection this season.

The play was similar, though not a complete replica, of the controversial ending of a White Sox-Orioles game May 23 when Chicago’s Andrew Vaughn was called out for interference on an infield fly. The applied rule, however, in each case was Official Baseball Rule 6.01 (a) (10), part of which states: “Any runner is out when — they fail to avoid a fielder who is attempting to field a batted ball…”

“By the letter of the law,” Boone said afterward, “probably the right call.”