As Corey Kluber Destroys His Former Team, Joey Gallo Blasts Two of the Yankees’ Five Runs Scored

Though after tossing a no-hitter in May, Corey Kluber didn’t exhibit much excitement, so he wasn’t inclined to display much on Friday evening as he completed his first major league debut against Cleveland.

The Yankees trounced Cleveland 8-0 in front of a crowd of more than 31,000 people at Yankee Stadium, as Kluber pitched six scoreless innings versus his former team. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton hit home runs for the Yankees (83-65) while moving a half-game ahead of Toronto (82-65).

The judge stated of Kluber, “He set the standard for us today.” “We just continued to roll and fueled off his enthusiasm.”

Kluber surrendered four hits and punched out four batters in his fourth start since emerging from the injury on Aug. 30. He batted 95 pitches in total.

Aaron Boone stated, “Corey gave us a pretty strong six innings.” “We haven’t had too many games when we score a goal or two and then pull away like that.” It was fantastic to witness such a thorough endeavor.

“I thought that was extremely nice,” Boone remarked, “and the command is becoming better.” “I still believe he can advance to a higher level. But he had a greater command of the ball and was a more effective strike-thrower tonight. I assumed the situation had worsened. It seems that things were moving around a lot, which is what he’s famous for, right? But I felt as though he had something going tonight with the dynamic aspect of his throws. Perhaps, this is just another step in his journey back to health.”

During his first nine years in Cleveland, He won 98 wins and two National League Cy Young Trophies. In 2020, he played one innings for Texas before joining the Yanks.

Despite the fact that Kluber did not pitch during the Yankees’ four-game trip to Cleveland in late April, he was able to say farewells to the city where he once thrived.

Before the contest, Kluber observed, “I believe it would have been different if I had competed when we visited there in April.” “That season, I was the only pitcher in the cycle who did not line up to pitch. In some ways, I believe that cleared the path for everything else. Becoming able to visit with past colleagues, trainers, and professional coaches, for example. Since I was there, I believe there has been a lot of development. At this point, I don’t expect it to be much different for me than it is for anyone else.”

Is there anything different about Kluber now that he’s faced Cleveland? “No,” he stated emphatically. “That, to me, would have been a selfish attitude, particularly given our current situation. It makes no difference whether I’m competing against this old club or someone new. We have to go out there every night and attempt to win every game.”
Kluber did not play more than 4 innings in each of his first three starts after his 3 stints on the disabled list, and his ERA was 8.49. In 11 2/3 innings, he gave up 14 hits and 7 walks while striking out 17.

“I believe the more reps I have, the more in tuned I get about the feel of everything, what I’m seeking to accomplish out there,” Kluber explained. “That is not to suggest and the more I throw, the better. I just think I have a better sense of what’s wrong when I deliver pitching and how to fix it, and also being able to do it after you’ve identified it.”

Gallo gave the Yanks a 1-0 advantage in the next innings by hitting a rocket into the top deck in right field against Zach Plesac. Judge led up the fourth inning with his 35th home run, and fifth in the previous seven games, a drive to right-center field against the Yankee relievers.

Plesac was struck out in the seventh inning when Gio Urshela hit an RBI single to make it 3-0. Gardner welcomed Wittgren with his tenth home match of the game, a 3 shot to right field. He is 13-for-40 with three bombs and 10 RBIs in his previous 12 games.

In the eighth inning, Stanton hit a single home run and ninth in the previous 22 games, while Gallo hit back-to-back home runs into the Yankee corner. It was my 37th home run of the season and his 12th with the Yankees.
Gallo has hit a home run in each of the last four matches in which he has played. He’s gone 8-for-22 (.364) with six singles in the last league matches he’s had an at-bat, and he’s also come up short of a major championship.