NEW YORK — Going into pinch hitter Jose Trevino’s two-out at-bat in the 13th inning on Friday night at Yankee Stadium against the Chicago Cubs, the New York Yankees were 0-for-18 with runners in scoring position and had left 15 men on base.
But the score was tied because the Cubs also were 0-for-18 with runners in scoring position and had left 13 on.
Sometimes the 19th time is the charm. Trevino, batting for Kyle Higashioka, lined a single to left to give the Yankees a walk-off 2-1 win.
“Just a great job of being ready,” Aaron Boone said. “Really good at-bat. Got a pitch he could handle.”
It was the Yankees’ seventh walk-off win of the season in a game that took 4:16. The Yankees, who moved a season-high 26 games over .500 at 42-16, have won nine of 10 and 35 of 45.
Friday was Trevino’s son Josiah’s fourth birthday. Trevino said Josiah was able to stay up and see the game-winning hit and FaceTime with his father.
“I don’t know what everybody believes in,” he said, “but I know what I believe. I believe I got a little extra help every time something like that happens. He was yelling at me, asking me if I had won the game for his birthday.
“Our defense played well tonight,” Trevino said. “Our bullpen did what they’ve been doing, coming in, throwing up zeros, giving a chance to win the game. That kind of carried us over. We just needed one hit.”
The Yankees were in position to win despite their offensive woes because Clarke Schmidt (two innings), Wandy Peralta and winning pitcher Ron Marinaccio (first big-league victory) threw a combined four shutout innings in extra innings despite the presence of the ghost runner. The trio didn’t allow a hit.
Luis Severino (103 pitches, tying his season high) allowed one run in six innings and struck out 10 for the second straight start. He allowed seven hits and walked one.
“Awesome,” Boone said. “Awesome. Sevy — six strong innings to put us in a good position to win a baseball game. And then the bullpen was terrific again. Castro. King. Holmes. Schmidt giving us two innings there . . . Wandy . . . And then Marinaccio really buckling down there and making some good pitches against the heart of their lineup.”
Because the game ended with two runners on base, the Yankees actually finished with a total of 17 runners left on. Doubt they cared much, though.
The Yankees got in at 5 a.m. after Thursday night’s game in Minnesota. “It’s not ideal,” Boone said. “But one thing that struck me when we walked down 15, 20 minutes before the game, there was a buzz in the crowd. Friday night crowd. Summer. Chicago Cubs in town. I thought we fed off that energy a little bit.”
How much trouble had the Yankees had in getting that big hit — or any hit — with runners in scoring position?
In the bottom of the eighth, Gleyber Torres and Aaron Hicks struck out with two men on against former Yankee David Robertson to keep it a 1-1 game.
In the 10th — after Cubs manager David Ross ordered a leadoff intentional walk to Aaron Judge — Anthony Rizzo struck out, Joey Gallo grounded out and Josh Donaldson hit a drive that was caught at the wall in left.
After Torres was walked intentionally to start the 11th, Hicks lined out to third, Higashioka flied out to left and Isiah Kiner-Falefa grounded out.
In the 12th, in a key at-bat, DJ LeMahieu struck out on a 3-and-2 pitch that bounced in front of the plate. That allowed the Cubs to intentionally walk Judge again before Rizzo popped out and Gallo struck out.
In the 13th, Donaldson and Torres hit long flyouts before Hicks was walked to get to Higashioka’s spot in the order. Boone called on Trevino, his last remaining position player, and Trevino ended it against Alec Mills, Chicago’s ninth pitcher.
Torres gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead when he led off the fourth with a home run into the Yankees’ bullpen against Daniel Norris. Torres, who had nine homers last season, has 11 in 2022. Jason Heyward tied it with his first home run of the season, an opposite-field shot to left field leading off the fifth.
The Cubs had a runner on third with one out in a scoreless game in the third when Boone brought the infield in. The strategy worked as Christopher Morel hit a grounder to Torres, who cut down Heyward at the plate for the second out.
Willson Contreras followed with a single and Ian Happ sent a drive to left-center. Judge raced over from center and saved at least one run with an inning-ending diving catch.
“Great play,” Boone said. “I had a great view of it. Travel of the ball and kind of seeing him out of my periphery, like trying to grade out if he’s going to be able to get there and like, ‘I think he’s got a chance’ and lays out and makes a great play.”
Cubs starter Wade Miley, who was activated off the injured list before the game, left after three shutout innings with a recurrence of left shoulder soreness.
