Entering the ninth inning on Sunday, the New York Yankees were already wrapping up a successful California road trip.
The Bronx Bombers had taken two-of-three from both the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Angels, and had already guaranteed themselves another series win against the San Francisco Giants with victories on Friday and Saturday.
But trailing the Giants 5-3 in the top of the ninth and facing closer Camilo Doval, one of the hardest-throwing pitchers in the league, the Yankees were unfazed and put together an improbable rally to provide an exclamation point on their trip.
Gleyber Torres led off the inning with a single. Jose Trevino then hit a soft ground ball to shortstop Casey Schmitt that appeared to be a rally-killing double play, but the Yankee catcher hustled down the line and beat Brett Wisely's throw to first. Although the Yankees were now down to their final two outs, this proved to be a monumental play as they still had the tying run at the plate.
Anthony Volpe was next, and he inside-outed a 100 mph cutter from Doval into Oracle Park's "Triples Alley" in right-center field. Trevino scored easily on the play, while Volpe, who already extended his on-base streak to 29 games, slid into third base with a triple. The Yankees now had a perfect scenario; Juan Soto was coming to the plate with the tying run just 90 feet away, and the brilliant left-handed slugger could knot the game at five with a mere sacrifice fly.
But Soto, who already hit a tape-measure home run in the first inning, had a bigger and better idea.
Velocity doesn't mean much if the pitch is located poorly, and Doval missed badly with a 97 mph cutter right down the middle. Soto licked his chops and crushed it over the right-center field wall, a majestic shot that few batters (not named Barry Bonds) were able to reach; the ball traveled 398 feet with a 108 mph exit velocity.
Most importantly, the Yankees had flipped the game on its head and took a 6-5 lead against one of the league's best closers. And they weren't done, either.
The red-hot Aaron Judge followed with a six-pitch walk, stole second base, and advanced to third when Giants catcher Curt Casali uncorked a poor throw. With an opportunity to drive in a key insurance run, Giancarlo Stanton took full advantage and drilled a line drive to Triples Alley that bounced over the wall for a ground-rule double, scoring Judge for a 7-5 lead. With the single by Torres, the triple by Volpe, the home run by Soto, and the double by Stanton, the Yankees collectively hit for the cycle in the inning. Notably, the double was a milestone for Stanton, who collected his 1,500th career hit.
The Giants eventually escaped the inning without any further damage, but Yankee closer Clay Holmes slammed the door in the bottom of the ninth. He retired the side in order for the Bronx Bombers' fifth straight win, a series sweep of the Giants, and a fantastic 7-2 record across three California cities.
The Yankees now boast an American League-best 42-19 record, and lead the Baltimore Orioles by three games for first place in the AL East. They will return to Yankee Stadium to begin a six-game homestand on Tuesday, with three-game sets against the Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Dodgers.
