NEW YORK — Phillies starter Taijaun Walker’s Monday evening began with a poorly played triple off the bat of DJ LeMahieu and three first-inning walks, but it wasn’t until later that the Yankees started pouring it on.
The Bombers only came away with a pair of runs in the opening frame, but they scored two more off Walker before his night ended after 4.1 innings. Reliever Yunior Marte surrendered four more runs and three more walks before Philadelphia’s bullpen settled down, paving the way for an easy 8-1 Yankees win in the three-game series opener.
The victory featured contributions from most of the Yankees’ lineup. Highlights included a third-inning solo shot from Gleyber Torres — his second home run of the season and the 100th of his career — and a two-run, second-deck drive from Anthony Rizzo, his first longball of 2023, in the fifth inning. Franchy Cordero lined a two-RBI double in his Yankees debut, while Giancarlo Stanton and Jose Trevino each drove a runner in.
Every Yankees starter reached base at least once.
On the mound, Nestor Cortes mostly kept the Phillies off the board in his first start of 2023. The southpaw allowed one run and seven hits over five frames. He struck out three while throwing 80 total pitches.
Cortes also made a heads-up play when Cordero airmailed a throw to the plate from right field. Cortes backed up the throw and fired the ball to third, where LeMahieu tagged an overzealous Brandon Marsh for the out.
Elsewhere on the mound, Ian Hamilton made his own Yankees debut. The righty showed off his “slambio” pitch — a slider-circle change hybrid — over 1.2 scoreless innings, though he allowed three hits.
Fellow right-handers Jonathan Loaisiga and Clay Holes finished the game for the Yankees without allowing another run.
