Yankees turn game-ending triple-play, beat A’s 2-1
NEW YORK ( AP) — Yankees manager Aaron Boone knew it off the bat.
“Usually, a triple play sneaks up on you,” he said. “Right away, I’m thinking, ‘That’s a triple play.’”
New York turned its record-tying third triple play of the season to strand the go-ahead run in the ninth inning, bailing out closer Aroldis Chapman from a shaky outing and closing down a 2-1 win over the Oakland Athletics on Sunday.
Gary Sánchez spoiled Sean Manaea’s gem with a go-ahead two-run double in the sixth inning, and relievers Jonathan Loaisiga (7-2) and Lucas Luetge turned a 2-1 lead over to Chapman in the ninth.
A day after reaching 103.4 mph during his 15th save — his fastest pitch on a strikeout since the 2017 AL wild-card game — Chapman walked Jed Lowrie and Chad Pinder on nine pitches, topping out at 98 mph.
He was visited by an athletic trainer because the nail in his left middle finger broke but stayed in the game to face Sean Murphy, who drilled the second pitch of the at-bat right at third baseman Gio Urshela.
Urshela stepped on third and whizzed the ball to DJ LeMahieu, and the second baseman relayed to first baseman Chris Gittens to get Murphy by a step.
“You’re around long enough, you see everything,” longtime A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “I’ve never seen a game end like that before.”
New York also turned the first 1-3-6-2-5-6 triple play in major league history on Thursday at Buffalo against the Blue Jays and also had an around-thehorn triple play on May 21 against the Chicago White Sox involving Urshela, second baseman Rougned Odor and first baseman Luke Voit. The storied franchise had never turned more than one triple play in a season and tied a major league record for most in a season, last accomplished by the 2016 Chicago White Sox.
The triple plays have happened over 31 days, the shortest span ever for three by a big league team.
Chapman’s 16th save in 18 tries sent Oakland to its first road series loss this season after eight wins and a split. The A’s had just four hits.
Loaisiga cleaned up Yankees starter Jordan Montgomery’s jam in the sixth and covered 1 2/3 scoreless innings, helping New York lock up its fifth win in six games — all when trailing after the fifth.
“It felt like a big series, coming off some really quality wins in Buffalo,” Boone said.
Manaea (6-3) struck out a career-high 11 and Matt Olson homered for Oakland, but the A’s dropped their second straight after ending a seven-game winning streak Saturday.
“There couldn’t have been a more, routine’s not the word, but triple play set-up,” Olson said. “Tough way to lose.”
Manaea — a winner in three straight starts — cruised until the sixth, when he walked two bat
ters ahead of the red-hot Sánchez.
Sánchez lined his second double of the game into the right-center gap, scoring both runners for a 2-1 lead.