After sweeping Angels, Yankees are on to L.A. to face World Series champion Dodgers
ANAHEIM, Calif. – J.C. Escarra stole a called third strike to seal Wednesday night's final out, and the Yankees 30-year-old rookie catcher wasn't shy about it.
'It was definitely a ball; it was way out there,'' Escarra said of Mark Leiter Jr.'s 2-2 curveball that upset the Angels' Logan O'Hoppe and secured a 1-0 Yankees win.
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Winners of five straight and 16 of their last 20 games, the Yanks rode a first-inning Anthony Volpe sac fly to victory, on a night when .391-hitting Aaron Judge was twice intentionally walked - in the first two innings - with first base open against lefty starter Yusei Kikuchi.
Framing pitches into the strike zone is something 'we work on every day to help our pitchers,'' and Escarra's assist finished the Yanks' three-game sweep at Angel Stadium.
These first-place Yankees now enter their anticipated weekend series at Dodger Stadium with a seven-game AL East lead, riding their highest wave of the 2025 season.
Yankees riding a wave into Dodger Stadium
May 28, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Aaron Judge (99) bats in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Aaron Boone's club couldn't have timed this 2024 World Series rematch any better, with Judge anticipating 'an electric atmosphere'' beginning Friday night.
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'They bring the noise, they bring excitement. It's one of my favorite places to play,'' said the Yankees captain, who'll also be reminded how badly things ended in the Bronx.
You'll recall how the Dodgers clinched a brutal Game 5 for the Yanks, who kept their losing streak going with Juan Soto bolting to the Mets in free agency and ace Gerrit Cole undergoing season-ending elbow surgery.
But a rebuilt Yankees lineup, centered around Judge, has thrived and the rotation – led by Max Fried – has found its footing.
In holding the Angels (25-30) to just three runs in three games, the Yanks (35-20) saw starters Ryan Yarbrough, Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt yield just one combined run in 19 innings.
Yankees' bullpen shows different late-inning look
Schmidt's six scoreless innings Wednesday were especially key, due to a taxed Yankee bullpen.
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'I think it was his best outing of the year,'' Escarra said of Schmidt, who spent the final innings 'cheering every pitch'' inside the clubhouse.
Recent workloads kept Luke Weaver and Devin Williams out of Wednesday's mix, and Boone was only going to Leiter Jr. in a save opportunity.
Leiter's chance came after Ian Hamilton regained a level of trust with five outs (as did lefty Tim Hill, retiring the one batter he faced with one pitch).
May 28, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Mark Leiter Jr. (56) and catcher J.C. Escarra (25) celebrate at the end of the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
'To be honest, it was kind of more calming,'' said Leiter Jr., after his second save of the season. 'I knew when I was going to pitch.''
After pinch-hitter Jo Adell lined out to third to start the ninth, Leiter Jr. got reigning AL Player of the Week Taylor Ward looking at an 0-2 splitter.
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After walking Jorge Soler on 3-2 curveball, Leiter got that assist from Escarra for the final out.
On deck: Yankees vs. Dodgers
'Everyone else did their job. It's my turn to come in and do mine,'' said Leiter Jr., operating this year with an extra two-to-three miles per hour on his sinker.
Leiter credited some intensive offseason work with his dad, a former big-league pitcher, that improved his mechanics and raised his velocity.
And that's 'allowing his breaking stuff and splitter to play even better,'' said Boone. 'The bigger the spot, the more he thrives. He's fearless out there.''
An hour after Escarra's stolen strike, a boisterous group of Yankees boarded luxury buses to L.A., ready for the next challenge: Shohei Ohtani and the world champion Dodgers.
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"It's going to be great to see how we stack up against them,'' Judge said.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Yankees sweep Angels, and now it's on to L.A. to face Dodgers
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