When the going is tough, you call on your best players to carry the team. That’s exactly what the Yankees got from Gerrit Cole. Their ace turned in a vintage performance, collecting a season-high 15 strikeouts, as the Angels’ bats were just no match for his overpowering stuff.
DJ LeMahieu led off the game with a sharp single up the middle, though he was immediately erased when Anthony Rizzo grounded into a double play. (Thankfully, that was the Angels’ only twin-killing, so it didn’t presage another five-GIDP night.) Aaron Judge added a 110-mph single of his own, but the top of the inning ended on a Luke Voit flyout to right.