LOS ANGELES — Jake Bauers had by no means performed in a serious league recreation at Dodger Stadium till Friday, however the Yankees outfielder is not any stranger to Chavez Ravine.
Bauers, a Newport Beach native who starred for Marina High School in Huntington Beach, performed for a CIF Southern Section Division 1 championship on the ballpark as a highschool senior in 2013. But Bauers, a childhood Angels fan, didn’t come away with a piece title, and he solely flew out and walked just a few instances whereas present Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty blanked Marina.
“I remember getting shut out and losing, 1-0,” Bauers instructed the Daily News, “and crying down the first baseline when the game was over.”
Saturday’s recreation at Dodger Stadium went significantly better for Bauers.
With family and friends in attendance — together with his mother and father, spouse and in-laws — Bauers recorded the primary multi-homer recreation of his profession with a pair of two-run bombs off Los Angeles starter Michael Grove. The first blast got here within the second inning and traveled 414 ft at 107.6 miles per hour. The second landed 409 ft away and left Bauers’ bat at 109.2 mph.
He admired each photographs to proper discipline, which propelled the Yankees to a 6-3, series-tying victory.
“As ironic as it sounds, just not trying to hit for power,” Bauers stated when requested what clicked after the sport. “Just trying to put the barrel on the ball and let good things happen from there.”
Bauers started the season at Triple-A, the place the 27-year-old crushed 9 house runs over 21 video games. The outfielder/first baseman got here into this season with 328 video games of main league expertise with Tampa Bay, Cleveland and Seattle, however he didn’t swimsuit up for the Yankees till April 29 of this yr after spending all of 2022 within the minor leagues with New York and Cincinnati.
“He obviously went down to Triple-A and tore it up to earn the opportunity,” Aaron Boone stated. “He’s gotten some massive hits for us, clearly two big homers. He’s acquired big-time pop.
“Everyone’s path is a little different. He’s done a really nice job for us.”
Bauers is barely hitting .237 in 26 video games, however he has an .889 OPS and has been productive over his final 5 appearances, going 6-for-13 (.462) with two doubles, three dingers and 7 RBI.
Bauers attributes all of his latest success to swing modifications really useful by the Yankees’ hitting coaches at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He stated they tweaked “a lot of stuff” after he hit .135 with the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate final season, however the important thing has been creating a flatter bat path by the zone.
The repair helped Bauers escape ideas of an early retirement, though he didn’t begin to see outcomes till the top of spring coaching this yr.
“Ever since I got traded here last year, it’s just kind of been a steady uptrend in terms of how I feel at the plate,” he stated. “I actually owe all of it to the Yankees, the Yankees’ hitting philosophy and the coaches right here.
“I had nothing to lose. I was hitting a buck-thirty in Triple-A. Feeling like I might have been at the end of my career. I didn’t know if I would ever be back in the big leagues. So when I got traded over and they said, ‘Hey, this is what we do here,’ I said, ‘Whatever you guys want me to do, is what I’m gonna do.’ All credit goes to them.”
The Yankees would like to see Bauers sustain this stage of output, as they might use a constant lefty-hitting left fielder.
There’s definitely a possibility there for Bauers. But then once more, he believes that each day is a chance.
“I can’t stress that enough,” he stated. “I’m just so thankful to be here. I’m so thankful for every day I’m in that lineup. I’m thankful for every day I get to step on that field. As long as they keep letting me in, I’m gonna give them everything I got.”
Bauers was not the Yankees’ solely California native who confirmed off at Dodger Stadium Saturday, as Linden’s Aaron Judge added a solo homer within the sixth inning. That gave the Yankees some wiggle room after Gerrit Cole’s early exit rapidly led to 2 Dodgers runs within the seventh.
Cole, who additionally hails from Newport Beach, pitched effectively for six innings, permitting 4 hits and one run whereas strolling two and hanging out 5. But he left after a season-low 80 pitches as a result of cramping in his legs all through the sport.
“It was tough,” Cole stated. “I mean, I did a hydration test and I’m hydrated, so it was I guess one of those days. Tough work, tough lineup, making me execute a lot of pitches, and so we managed it well. But getting into the later innings, didn’t want to risk anything.”
With Cole out of the sport, the Dodgers jumped on Wandy Peralta, who didn’t document an out and surrendered an RBI triple to Miguel Vargas. Michael King then gave up an RBI single to Miguel Rojas earlier than stopping the bleeding. Both runs went to Peralta.
The Dodgers’ first run got here within the second inning when David Peralta hit a blooper off Cole.
Los Angeles threatened once more within the eighth with King nonetheless on the mound, however a miraculous operating catch from Judge took a success away from J.D. Martinez and helped the Yankees keep away from extra harm.
Judge barged into the Bombers’ bullpen gate upon colliding with it, and he stumbled by the doorway because the barrier unexpectedly swung open. But Judge hung onto the ball, giving him his second highlight-reel snare of this street journey after robbing a house run in Seattle.
“Just another awesome catch added to the list in a big-time spot,” Boone stated. “Your heart skips a beat when the fence goes flying open. Just another great play.”
Judge, in the meantime, stated he was nice after the forceful crash.
“I’m feeling good,” the slugger stated. “I think the fence got most it. Thankfully, it was that part of the wall where it had some give. I think that saved me quite a bit. If it was a solid wall, it might be a different story.”
The Yankees weren’t carried out offensively, because the lately demoted and sleep disadvantaged Oswaldo Cabrera supplied another insurance coverage run with a homer within the ninth.
“I know that I wasn’t doing great things,” Cabrera, who flew out of Newark at 8:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, stated of his demotion. “When Boonie told me, I was like, ‘Okay, I got it.’ In my mind, I knew I had to do better down there to get back. When they called me yesterday, I was so happy.”
With the collection now tied at one, the Yankees will look to depart Los Angeles with a win on Sunday. Domingo German will face Bobby Miller within the finale earlier than the Yanks return house.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com