Will Warren has set the tone this spring, and his final tune-up did not disappoint, as the Yankees defeated the Phillies 6-2 on Sunday afternoon.
In what turned into an eventful first inning, Warren had to work around a leadoff double by Kyle Schwarber. After the extra-base hit, Warren leaned on both his stuff and a little help from the challenge system. J.T. Realmuto had a borderline pitch called a ball, but catcher J.C. Escarra quickly signaled for a review. The call was overturned, giving Warren his first strikeout of the afternoon.
Bryce Harper followed with a challenge of his own the following at bat on a called strike and lost, then grounded out to move Schwarber to third, briefly putting pressure back on the Yankees’ right-hander.
With a runner 90 feet away, Warren went right back to work. After getting ahead in the count, he turned to the ABS system himself when a two-strike pitch at the top of the zone was called a ball. Warren’s challenge was successful and the call was overturned, strike three was awarded, and Schwarber was stranded at third to end the inning.
In total, the Yankees went 2-for-2 on successful challenges in the frame, while one additional challenge against them stood. The most aggressive team using the system this spring lived up to that billing early and often on Sunday.
After the leadoff hit, Warren retired 15 straight. His final line was all you could hope for and then some: five innings, six strikeouts, one hit, no walks, and just 62 pitches.
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It was the perfect finishing touch on a strong spring for the still-official-nickname-less Will Warren. If he keeps pitching like this, he is going to need one. Wicked Willy? The Mississippi Magician? We’ll work on it.
Soon, the Yankees broke the gridlock. Following a successful challenge, Ryan McMahon put New York on the board with a single to center, scoring Giancarlo Stanton and moving Jazz Chisholm Jr. to third.
Jazz did not stay there long, coming home on Escarra’s hard-hit single to right as the Yankees pushed the lead to 2-0. Nola limited the damage from there, stranding two runners to end the fourth, but his afternoon would not last much longer.
In the bottom of the fifth, Aaron Judge put an emphatic end to Nola’s outing, launching a changeup over the left-field wall for one of his trademark, effortless rockets. The blast traveled 380 feet off the bat at 111.7 mph and would have left all 30 big league parks, a reminder that even in spring, Judge’s power plays anywhere.
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The Yankees were not done in the inning. Ben Rice followed Judge’s home run with a double and later came around to score on a Chisholm single to right, extending the lead and continuing a strong offensive frame.
The Phillies threatened in the top of the seventh, loading the bases with no outs against Camilo Doval. Doval responded by strucking out Adolis García and then induced Edmundo Sosa into an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play, escaping the jam and preserving the Yankees’ lead.
The Phillies finally broke through in the top of the eighth against left-hander Tim Hill. Schwarber got all of a sinker and drove it out to left, cutting the Yankees’ lead in half at 4-2.
The Yankees answered right back in the bottom of the eighth.
Max Schuemann laid down a sacrifice bunt to bring home Oswaldo Cabrera, pushing the lead back to three. Moments later, Amed Rosario followed with a single up the middle, scoring Kyle West making the score were it would finish at 6-2.
The Yankees now head west to wrap up spring training with a two-game matchup against the Cubs at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona.
First pitch is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. ET, with the game available on WFAN 660 AM for Yankees listeners and 104.3 The Score for Cubs coverage. Carlos Lagrange is expected to get the start for New York, while Shota Imanaga is lined up for Chicago.
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