The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees met for the first time since the 2013 season, with the clubs splitting the previous 10 regular-season matchups. Los Angeles was coming off a disappointing series against the Miami Marlins, and got off to a hot start at Yankee Stadium.
Chase Utley ended an 0-for-14 skid by beating the shift with a grounder to shortstop that carried into left field for a leadoff single in the first inning. Corey Seager followed with a base hit of his own, and Justin Turner’s fly ball to center field put runners on the corners.
Adrian Gonzalez pulled a slow chopper to second base that he beat out to avoid hitting into an inning-ending double play, which gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. Making just his second career start, Jose De Leon certainly didn’t look the part of a rookie on Broadway.
He needed just 11 pitches to retire the side in order in the bottom half of the first. Bryan Mitchell ran into more trouble in the second inning and wasn’t done any favors by his defense.
Howie Kendrick singled with one out, and Andrew Toles’ base hit down the third base line sparked a two-out rally. Utley then drove a ball to deep right-center field that Aaron Judge dropped while attempting to make a running catch.
It resulted in a three-base error that allowed the Dodgers to extend their lead to 3-0. Seager collected his second hit in as many at-bats by knocking an RBI single before Mitchell could get out of the inning.
The Yankees got one run back on Starlin Castro’s towering solo home run hit to the second deck in left field. De Leon also issued his first walk in the Majors, but didn’t allow that to lead to additional runs for the Yankees.
Yasmani Grandal singled to right field and Josh Reddick doubled to give the Dodgers a pair of runners in scoring position with one out in the third. Kendrick’s swinging bunt scored a run and knocked Mitchell out of the game.
Chasen Shreve took over and had the Dodgers steal a run as Kendrick broke for second base, drawing a throw from Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez that was wide of the bag and sailed into center field. Reddick scored easily as he’d already begun running home as Sanchez went to uncork his throw.
Brett Gardner walked with one out in the bottom of the third and Sanchez was later hit by a pitch to put two on with two outs. A mound visit from Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt helped De Leon settle back in as he quickly retired Castro to end the inning.
Yankees reliever Richard Bleier hit Utley with a pitch to open the fourth. He then stole second base and advanced to third on Turner’s groundout. Gonzalez struck out swinging to strand Utley, and the Dodgers’ lead remained 6-1.
De Leon left a 2-0 fastball over the plate in the fifth, resulting in a solo home run that Judge crushed to left-center field. Jacoby Ellsbury kept the inning alive with a two-out single, but De Leon got Sanchez swinging on a high fastball.
Pedro Baez came on in the sixth and retired the Yankees in order to keep the Dodgers’ lead at 6-2. Baez struck out a pair in the bottom of the seventh but also allowed a two-out single to Ronald Torreyes. Grant Dayton entered and struck out Gardner to end the inning.
Yasiel Puig’s pinch-hit home run with two outs in the eighth ended a string of eight batters retired in a row. Joe Blanton relieved Dayon with one out in the bottom half of the inning and worked around a Castro two-out double to keep the Dodgers’ 7-2 lead intact.
Turner went opposite field for a solo home run in the ninth, and Josh Fields saw some action in the bottom half of the inning to finish out the Dodgers’ 8-2 victory.
