NEW YORK — Anthony Volpe didn’t know what he was supposed to do with tens of thousands of Yankees fans chanting his name for a curtain call after he hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the eighth inning. He said he didn’t know what side of the dugout he was supposed to exit and whether he was supposed to wave or fist bump in the air, so he panicked and awkwardly clapped before retreating inside.
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“He was probably a little uncomfortable doing that, but he probably got permission from 99 and definitely deserved it,” Gerrit Cole said.
Aaron Judge wasn’t the one who pushed him out of the dugout for his first career curtain call in pinstripes. It was manager Aaron Boone and bench coach Carlos Mendoza who encouraged the rookie to acknowledge the crowd and soak up the moment.
It was Volpe’s second home run this season but the most impactful out of the two with the Yankees’ offense lifeless most of Saturday afternoon before he jolted them awake to give them a 2-0 lead over the Blue Jays. Volpe took a first-pitch fastball over the heart of the plate from Toronto reliever Yimi Garcia and planted one into the short porch at Yankee Stadium.
AV Club ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/rb1UXycXG7
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 22, 2023
“It was one of those goose bump (moments),” Boone said. “It had that pretty electric environment for an April game. You get those every now and then. A tense game like that, 0-0 the whole way. (Oswald) Peraza had a big hit to get it going and then Anthony really jumped on it. It was one of those good regular-season moments at the stadium.”
After starting his career slowly at the plate, Volpe has started looking more comfortable. He’s reached base in each of his past 10 games and has a .405 on-base percentage in this stretch. He’s 8-for-8 in his stolen base attempts and has looked smooth at short, making several impressive plays showing off his range and arm.
“I feel like the last 10 days, you’ve really started to see consistent at-bat quality, whatever the result ends up being, it’s been that,” Boone said. “For him to jump on one there in a big spot, he’s a heavy at-bat. He’s a tough at-bat, whether you get him out or not. That consistency the last seven-to-10 days has been really good.”
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Cole said the first person who told him that he would enjoy having Volpe play behind him was Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer told him that on every level Volpe has played on, his team has found a way to win. DJ LeMahieu, whose pinch hit walk-off single in the ninth gave the Yankees a 3-2 win, said he’s been impressed with Volpe’s ability to impact the game in every area.
Having Volpe in the leadoff spot in place of LeMahieu, who’s in more of a run-producing role in the middle of the order, gives the Yankees a speed dynamic they haven’t had in recent years. Judge has told Volpe he wants him running all of the time when he’s in front of him. When the Yankees are fully healthy, Volpe hitting first as opposed to ninth may be the best option for the team — especially if he continues to get on base and bring value at the top of the order.
“We have such a good lineup that if I just stay within myself and take my pitches and swing at good ones and take bad ones, there’s probably more pressure to pitch (to) me knowing there’s really good hitters behind me,” Volpe said.
Here are other takeaways as the Yankees are 11-0 in games this season when facing a series loss:
Cole keeps impressing
Cole’s start was slightly delayed Saturday afternoon by Blue Jays starter Alek Manoah and catcher Alejandro Kirk, who were sauntering in from the bullpen. Cole had to step off the mound before throwing his first pitch to wait for Manoah and Kirk to get in the dugout. Cole said he “didn’t notice” what they were doing but it’s naive to think it wasn’t by design.
Hang on, Alek Manoah is making an ✨entrance✨ pic.twitter.com/rjsPBAaxxT
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 22, 2023
Manoah has persistently tried to provoke a reaction from Cole, hoping to unsettle him, going back to last season. During a game at Yankee Stadium, Manoah yelled at Cole to pass the painted-on Audi logo in foul territory on the field during a verbal confrontation. He then called Cole the “biggest cheater” in the sport this past offseason and then doubled down on those comments Friday afternoon. But Cole hasn’t let Manoah phase him.
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Cole got into early trouble in the first inning after George Springer and Vlad Guerrero Jr. reached base. He then fell behind 3-0 to Matt Chapman before battling back and striking him and Daulton Varsho out to strand the runners.
“They’re tough,” Cole said of the Blue Jays. “They just grind. They don’t give a pitch up. They’re shifty. Alek was on his game today. He just threw tremendous. I would’ve liked to get deeper. Toronto didn’t let me get deep. They were able to spoil some good pitches and avoid a swing-and-miss in certain situations. We were able to control some of the contact for the most part but not stay efficient enough to keep going toe-to-toe with him. I did feel like I faded a little bit.”
Cole didn’t have his best stuff Saturday afternoon, but he still gutted out 5 2/3 innings without allowing a run. Cole hasn’t allowed a run in his past 20 2/3 innings. It’s the second-longest streak of his career and trails his 21 2/3 scoreless innings streak in 2021.
Cole has pitched 34 innings this season and given up just three runs. His 0.79 ERA is the third-lowest ERA in franchise history by a Yankees starter in his first five starts of a season since earned runs became an official stat in 1913. Importantly for Cole, who’s coming off a league-high 33 home runs allowed last season: He’s given up zero in 2023.
Manoah came into Saturday’s matchup versus the Yankees with a 6.98 ERA, allowing nearly two home runs per nine innings and nearly seven walks per nine but shut the Yankees down through seven innings. Manoah gave up just two hits and one walk while striking out five and left after throwing 85 pitches with the score tied at 0-0.
“Old-school baseball, right?” Jays manager John Schneider told reporters. “It was like, who’s going to blink first and neither one of (the starters) did. A pitching duel from top to bottom. They made big pitches in big spots, both of them, and we just came up with the short end of it.”
Peraza making an impact
With Josh Donaldson expected to miss a few more weeks at minimum with a hamstring strain, it’s opened an opportunity for rookie infielder Peraza to play every day. He made his first career start at third Friday and played there again Saturday versus Toronto. There haven’t been many challenges for Peraza at third in his first two games, but it’s surely a chance for him to unseat Donaldson even after the veteran returns.
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The reality is the Yankees are more invested in Peraza’s future than they are in Donaldson’s. In a very small sample size this season, Peraza has reached base at a .438 clip and has shown better plate discipline than he did in his short stint with the club last season. He reached base in the third inning on a walk then stole second and started the two-out rally in the eighth with a single that set up Volpe’s two-run homer.
“He’s been patient,” Boone said. “That always hasn’t been his thing, necessarily. I think about a walk he had the other night where he laid off a tough 3-2 pitch. He’s been controlling the strike zone. That’s been encouraging to see. He’s come up and had a smile on his face and he’s ready. I think he’s enjoying playing the game with these guys. It’s a credit to him. It was obviously a tough situation there at the end of spring and it hasn’t changed the person he is or how he’s going about things. You can tell he’s excited for the opportunity and wants to help us win. That’s what I’ve noticed and I’ve noticed him doing a good job controlling the zone.”
If Peraza continues getting on base and shows comfort at third, the Yankees may be faced with the decision of whether they should designate Donaldson for assignment and eat the money he’s owed. Until Donaldson is ready to return, Peraza should be in the lineup every day to prove he belongs in the Bronx and make that a tough decision for the front office.
(Photo of Anthony Volpe: Wendell Cruz / USA Today)
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