New York Yankees Endure Philadelphia Phillies And Split Doubleheader

It was a tightly contested match between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies until late in the seventh inning. Despite the Yankees falling short in the opening match, 7-11, New York rallied back with a 3-1 victory care of a late-game run.

With Aaron Nola leaving after a stellar performance, the Yankees pulled through with a clutch series of hits to propel them at 9-2 this season. It was a phenomenal performance for Nola care of career-high of 12 strikeouts in the nightcap.

Unfortunately for the Phillies, after 88 pitches, Tommy Hunter checked in for Nola in the seventh inning and the Yankees took advantage of the situation. It was Mike Tauchaman’s line-drive double that opened up the game for the Yankees where they led 2-1 late in the game. An RBI single care of Gio Urshela sealed the deal for the Yankees.

"It's not always going to be easy," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said by way of ESPN.

The Yankees struggled with how well Zack Wheeler played in their opening game as he pitched in six innings where he gave six hits and tallied two strikeouts.

"Wheeler and Nola are two really good ones. You have to be able to win these games," Boone continued.

This game features Nola's first game back as a pitcher since the season opener on July 24. The Phillies had a one-week layoff due to the Miami Marlins’ surging increase of positive COVID-19 cases. Despite wanting to play more, manager Joe Girardi emphasized that he prioritizes his players’ health over everything else.

"They're stressful innings and hopefully his next start we can get him to 100 (pitches). Couldn't jeopardize his health," Girardi shared.

Despite Nola's exceptional performance, Girardi didn't want to overwork his players and put them at risk for an injury.

“I have a responsibility to the players that I don’t allow them to hurt themselves because they’re trying to be heroes,” Girardi added by way of NBC Sports.

“This is their career and it’s how they’re going to make their living so a lot of times I have to protect players from themselves. I take that very seriously,” Girardi emphasized.

It has been a unique season but it will be interesting to see if the teams can maintain playing at a high level despite the ongoing challenges the world is facing with the pandemic.