Prado's RBI Single in the 9th Lifts Yankees to Victory

 

Martin Prado provided the game winning hit for NY. Photo Credit: AP

 

Martin Prado’s bases loaded walk off single in the 9th gave the Yankees a 4-3 come from behind victory over the Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium on Friday night.

By: Sunil Sunderraj

It was on a 3-2 count that Prado poked a ground ball back up the middle bringing in Ichiro Suzuki for the game winning run and a much needed win for the Yankees, who are hanging onto hopes for getting the second AL wildcard spot. Prado now has 5 career walk-off hits. With the victory, New York (65-61) pulled within 3.5 games of Detroit for the second Wild Card spot.

In the first inning, New York’s starting pitcher Shane Greene ran into trouble immediately allowing back to back singles to Alejandro De Aza and Carlos Sanchez. That set the stage for baseball’s newest slugging star Jose Abreu. Abreu promptly bashed his 33rd home run of the season just past the outstretched glove of Brett Gardner into the first couple of rows in left field giving the White Sox a quick 3-0 lead.

The Yankees had an early scoring opportunity to answer the White Sox , loading up the bases in the second inning, but Gardner popped up to Sanchez in shallow right field to end the inning and any potential big inning for New York.

Greene settled down striking out the side in the third inning. In the bottom of half of the inning Jacoby Ellsbury singled to right field. Prado  then got the Yankees back into the game  as he launched his eighth home run of the season to reduce Chicago’s lead to 3-2.

Two innings later Gardner was hit by a pitch to leadoff the inning. Derek Jeter followed that with a single through the hole between third base and shortstop into left field. Ellsbury  then ripped a line drive into the right field corner driving in Gardner to tie the game up at 3-3.

However, the Yankees were unable to take the lead as Mark Teixeira grounded out weakly to first base followed by a Prado strikeout and Brian McCann flying out to the warning track in right field where Avisail Garcia made a leaping grab robbing McCann of an extra base hit.

After Shawn Kelley replaced Greene to start the sixth inning, Kelley hit Conor Gillaspie followed by an Alexi Ramirez line drive single to left field. Kelley did manage to recover by striking out the next two hitters.

For the White Sox, DeAza looped a liner to left field, Gardner came come up throwing a strike to a perfectly placed Francisco Cervelli who applied the tag to nail Gillaspie at home plate, denying Chicago fo retaking the lead.

After White Sox manager Robin Ventura challenged the play due to Cervelli possibly blocking the plate, the umpire's ruling stood of an out. Greene wound up going five innings, surrendering three runs on nine hits while walking two but striking out seven hitters. In Greene’s last four starts he is averaging five plus strikeouts.

The Yankees squandered another scoring chance in the seventh inning. Gardner singled to center field to leadoff the inning and advanced to second base on a steal. Teixeira managed to draw a walk but Prado struck out to end the inning.

Dellin Betances came in the top of the seventh inducing Adam Dunn into an inning ending double play.

In the eighth inning, Betances struck two out of the three hitters he faced, holding the Sox at bay for the time being.

David Robertson(2-4) started the ninth inning striking out two batters which made himself part of Yankees history. Robertson  has become the fastest pitcher to reach 500 strikeouts in his career and also achieve that mark while doing it in the fewest innings pitched with his 376.2 career innings.

Before Saturday’s game, the Yankees will honor Hall of Famer Joe Torre by retiring his number and unveiling a plaque of him in Monument Park. Hideki Kuroda (8-8) toes the rubber against Scott Carroll (5-7).

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