The Cincinnati Reds came away with a 3-2 win over the New York Yankees on Wednesday to secure a series win, and Fernando Cruz's clutch performance in the seventh inning to get Aaron Judge to ground into a double play was one of the key parts of the game. Cruz was fired up, and he described the emotions he felt after the game.
“It was the time to compete,” Fernando Cruz said, via The Associated Press. “I know who you are. I'm here. I have three pitches that I can get you out (with) and I don't think you're expecting a fastball in the middle of the plate and I'm going to throw it to you.”
Cruz challenged Aaron Judge, the best hitter in the game. The situation was runners on the corners with one out. The Yankees scored two runs off of Cruz earlier in the inning on an Anthony Volpe double. They were set to tie the game with a good at-bat from Judge. Ultimately, Judge hit it hard, but it was right at Noelvi Marte, who started the inning-ending double play.
The Reds escaped the jam, and Cruz described the feeling as “the best feeling in the world.”
“Shutting down the fans, the crowd — the game was on the line and shutting them down is one of the best feelings in sports for me,” Cruz said, via The Associated Press. “I don't know what's better than that.”
Cruz knew he was going up against the best hitter in baseball in Judge, who leads MLB in home runs with 32, RBI with 83 and OPS with 1.158. He relished the challenge.
“It's the best hitter in the world, there's no secret about it,” Cruz said, via The Associated Press. “There's no better way to compete.”
The Reds then closed out the game without much trouble in the eighth and ninth innings to get the 3-2 win.
Reds trying to stay in wild card chase
The Reds secured the series win against the Yankees, and will try to close out a sweep with a win on July 4 with Frankie Montas taking the mound against his former team. As a result of the win on Wednesday, Cincinnati moved to 41-45 overall. That has the Reds 3.5 games out of the last wild card spot in the National League.
To get into a playoff spot, Cincinnati will have to pass five teams that are ahead in the National League standings. The Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants are a half game ahead of the Reds, while the Arizona Diamondbacks are a game ahead, and the New York Mets are two games ahead. The last wild card spot is held by the St. Louis Cardinals, who the Reds are 3.5 games back of, as mentioned before.
The Reds are trying to keep themselves in the conversation for a playoff spot in the National League to avoid becoming sellers at the trade deadline. There is a lot of young talent on the team, and this was a year in which they expected to take a big step.
