Solo homers by Gleyber Torres, Willie Calhoun back Domingo German in Yankees' win over Red Sox
Yankees' Gleyber Torres reacts in front of Boston Red Sox catcher Reese McGuire after he scored on his solo home run during the fourth inning of an MLB baseball game at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, June 10, 2023. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Domingo German seems to have solved whatever issues plagued him during the first month of the season.
And in doing so, it’s been German, and not Gerrit Cole, who has carried the Yankees’ rotation for nearly six weeks now.
German continued the upward trend that started in early May on Saturday night, throwing six terrific innings against the Red Sox in a 3-1 win in front of a sellout crowd of 46,061 at the Stadium.
German, backed by solo home runs by Gleyber Torres and Willie Calhoun, allowed one run and six hits in improving to 4-3 with a 3.49 ERA.
After posting a 5.54 ERA in his first five starts, German — who served a 10-game suspension last month for his ejection May 16 in Toronto because of excess sticky stuff on his hands — has a 2.20 ERA in his last seven starts. He’s allowed one earned run or fewer in five of those outings.
Said Aaron Boone: “He’s been one of the best pitchers in the league the last month.”
Boone felt German had three pitches going for him Saturday — changeup, curveball and fastball — but overall wasn’t quite as sharp as in his previous start in Los Angeles last Sunday night, when he allowed one run and four hits in 6 2⁄3 innings against the potent Dodgers.
“I didn’t think he was as dominant as he was in L.A.,” Boone said. “They squared some balls up on him tonight, but he made some big pitches when he had to. Just another strong start for what’s been a really good season so far for Domingo.”
German said though his interpreter: “Good outing tonight. I was able to make the necessary adjustments as the game went on and I was able to stay ahead of them.”
The Yankees’ bullpen, which brought the best ERA in MLB into the night (2.81), received scoreless outings from Wandy Peralta, Tommy Kahnle and Clay Holmes. Holmes allowed a hit and struck out two in the ninth for his eighth save in 10 chances.
The Yankees (38-28) had six hits, led by Torres’ two, and the Red Sox (32-33) had seven. Boston righthander Tanner Houck, who came in 3-5 with a 5.46 ERA — but with a career 2.28 ERA in nine games against the Yankees (four starts) — allowed two runs and three hits in six innings.
Torres’ 11th homer made it 1-0 in the fourth and Calhoun’s fifth homer made it 2-1 in the sixth. In between, Rafael Devers homered in the top of the sixth. Kyle Higashioka’s two-out infield single in the seventh made it 3-1.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa, pinch hitting for Oswaldo Cabrera, led off the seventh with a single. Two outs later, with Kiner-Falefa on second and Josh Winckowski on the mound, Higashioka grounded one back up the middle. Christian Arroyo dived to his right and knocked it down but couldn’t hang on to the ball, and as it rolled away for an infield hit, Kiner-Falefa scored.
Houck retired the first nine batters he faced before Torres dinged him leading off the fourth. Torres, in a 3-for-26 skid, lined a first-pitch, 94-mph sinker over the rightfield wall.
The Yankees put two runners on in the fifth but were turned away. Billy McKinney doubled with one out and Higashioka walked, but Anthony Volpe extended his recent slump to 7-for-62 by grounding into an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play.
The Red Sox drew even in the sixth when Devers led off and launched a first-pitch, 91-mph fastball into the netting overhanging Monument Park in center for his 15th homer.
Calhoun, who started in right Saturday, untied it in the bottom half, lining a 1-and-2 splitter into the seats in right. That improved him to 13-for-42 (.310) with two homers and eight RBIs in his last 12 games.
Calhoun said continued contributions from him — as well as those from other reserve players such as Jake Bauers and McKinney — is the only way the Yankees will be able to survive long-term without Aaron Judge.
“It’s going to take all of the guys in this clubhouse,” Calhoun said. “Really just relying on each other and leaning on each other and picking each other up every single day. We just have to keep that going, and I feel like in this clubhouse we can do that.”
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
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