The series opener between the Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees is an early candidate for game of the year after the Yankees walked-off the Angels 11-10 in a back-and-forth affair.
It might not have ended the way the Los Angeles Angels hoped it would, but their series opener against the New York Yankees on Monday was an absolute thriller.
This back-and-forth affair is an early candidate for game of the year, with the Yankees drawing first blood and scoring twice in both the first and second innings to take an early 4-0 lead.
The Angels countered with four runs in the fourth which was immediately answered by three Yankees runs in the bottom of the fifth. Once again, the Halos followed with three runs of its own to tie the game at 7 before the Yankees scored once in the bottom half of the sixth to take an 8-7 lead.
I sound like a broken record, but the Angels managed to tie it up in the seventh. This time, the Angels’ bullpen stopped the Yankees from retaking the lead… until the ninth inning. Angels center fielder Mike Trout hit his second home run of the game to make it 10-8 in the eighth inning before a wild bottom of the ninth transpired.
Trent Grisham hit a two-run blast to tie it before Jose Caballero scored on a wild pitch to end it 11-10.
It was a gut-wrenching loss for the Angels, but fans have to be pleased with the way the offense has performed so far. The pitching outside of José Soriano? Not so much. Left-hander Yusei Kikuchi had another stinker and the bullpen has been rough.
Game two of the four-game series will be a battle of the lefties, as the Angels will send Reid Detmers to duel New York’s Ryan Weathers.
Detmers is 0-1 with a 4.60 ERA and 1.28 WHIP over 15.2 innings pitched. He struck out nine batters and allowed three runs on six hits over 4.2 innings in his first start against the Houston Astros, and followed it up with 6.2 scoreless three-hit innings with four walks and four strikeouts against the Seattle Mariners before getting shelled by the Atlanta Braves in a start where he allowed six runs (five earned) on five hits and two walks with four strikeouts over 4.1 innings.
Weathers is also 0-1, but with a 2.81 ERA and 1.38 WHIP through 16 innings pitched. He threw 4.1 innings of one-run ball on four hits and two walks with seven punchouts against the Mariners in his first start, followed by just 3.2 innings of three-run ball against the Miami Marlins in which he allowed six hits and three walks with four strikeouts before tossing eight one-run innings on seven hits with seven strikeouts in a loss to the Athletics.
First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. EDT on MLB.TV and regional sports networks.