Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
After further review, Yankees get reprieve
Walker’s walk-off bloop in 11th sinks A’s
NEW YORK — Matt Olson slid past Gary Sanchez across home plate and scored the go-ahead run for Oakland in the ninth inning. But wait.
Ninety seconds later, the call was reversed when a replay ruled the catcher had snagged the one-hop throw from left fielder Brett Gardner and his mitt’s edge caught at least one thread of Olson’s name on the back of his jersey.
Aroldis Chapman had become the first Yankees pitcher in 26 years to walk the first three batters of an inning and escape without allowing any runs.
Two more innings and another hour led to what has become commonplace: a walk-off win for New York.
Neil Walker flared a run-scoring single into center field in the 11th inning, and the Yankees rallied from a four-run deficit for a 7-6 win Saturday that avoided what would have been their first three-game slide since August.
New York (27-12) stopped its first two-game skid since April 8-10 and stayed tied with Boston for the majors’ best record.
Sanchez and Aaron Hicks hit the Yankees’ first consecutive home runs of the year in the second, but Oakland ended Domingo German’s 15-inning scoreless streak with a five-run fourth that included Khris Davis’ three-run homer off the top of the left-field wall and Mark Canha’s two-run single.
Aaron Judge sparked a four-run bottom half with a two-run homer off Andrew Triggs. Walker hit a run-scoring single off Danny Coulombe, and Miguel Andujar had a tying single against Ryan Dull.
Jonathan Holder, Chad Green and Dellin Betances each pitched a perfect inning before Chapman’s wild ride.
His velocity was down 3-4 mph on the cool afternoon from the 100 mph-plus heat that overpowered Boston on warm nights earlier in the week.
Pitching coach Larry Rothschild and head athletic trainer Steve Donohue visited the mound to check Chapman, who was pitching with a cracked fingernail.
Chapman struck out Canha, and Jonathan Lucroy followed with a 297-foot fly to left field.
Gardner had time to set his feet, step into the catch and get his weight behind the throw, which was slightly up the third-base line. Sanchez moved up about 4 feet in front on the plate and reached at the sliding Olson. Umpire James Hoye made an emphatic safe call.
New York asked for a video review, and the crowd starting cheering when the slow-motion video was replayed on the scoreboard. Crew chief Jeff Kellogg made the out call, and the Chapman’s Houdini act was complete.