NEW YORK _ The Yankees have been successful all season long, despite how injuries impacted their lineup. With their 89th victory on Saturday, the Yankees can finally say that they've beaten everyone they've faced this season.
DJ LeMahieu's walk-off home run capped a dramatic 4-3 victory on Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium. It was the Yankees' first win against the Oakland Athletics in five tries this season. The Yankees had at least one win against the other 18 teams on their schedule entering play on Saturday.
The Yankees' offense on Saturday was fueled exclusively by solo shots. Gary Sanchez hit solo home runs in both the second and fifth innings. Aaron Judge's solo home run in the bottom of the eighth tied the game at three. The three home runs gave the Yankees a major league record of 74 home runs as a team during the month of August.
Sanchez's first home run gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead in the second inning, but that lead would not last past the fourth. A one-out single by Matt Chapman was followed up by a two-run home run by Matt Olson. Olson's 27th home run of the season landed in the bleachers in right field and put Oakland ahead, 2-1.
Sanchez would tie the game with his second home run of the game and 32nd of the year, but the Yankees were unable to take another lead. Sanchez's two home runs were the first two baserunners allowed by Oakland starter Homer Bailey. Bailey would allow a two-out single to Mike Ford later in the sixth inning and exit an inning later after walking Judge and allowing a single to Gleyber Torres.
The Yankees had the ace of their rotation on the mound, but Domingo German could not become the first pitcher this season to reach 18 wins. German earned a no decision in five innings pitched, allowing two runs on four hits, walking three and striking out five. German threw 90 pitches and never got into much of a groove against an Athletics lineup that forced German to throw at least 14 pitches in every inning.
The Oakland bullpen shut the door from there. Blake Treinen got Sanchez to ground into a fielder's choice to end the threat and retired the Yankees in order in the seventh.
The Yankees' bullpen, however, was not as watertight. Ten walks were issued by Yankees pitching, including seven by the bullpen. Jonathan Loaisiga loaded the bases in the sixth before working out of it with a ground ball. Adam Ottavino allowed a single and a stolen base by Robbie Grossman before Matt Chapman's RBI double scored Grossman. Ottavino loaded the bases before Tommy Kahnle needed one pitch to escape the jam and end the seventh inning.
Zack Britton recorded two outs in the eighth, but left the game with right calf cramping after landing awkwardly on a pitch against Marcus Semien. Chad Green took over for Britton and walked Semien, along with the next two batters to load the bases. Green struck out Olson swinging to leave the bases loaded. In the ninth, Aroldis Chapman walked a pair to put a scare into the Yankee Stadium crowd, but struck out two to keep the game tied.
