Zac Gallen matched his career high with 13 strikeouts, leading the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 4-3 win over the New York Yankees on a cold, rainy night in the Bronx. After a rough Opening Day, Gallen found his rhythm Wednesday, retiring 11 straight batters and keeping New York off balance with his sharp knuckle curve.
Gallen bounced back from his Opening Day loss to the Cubs, giving up just three hits without a walk. He racked up 10 of his 13 strikeouts with his knuckle curve and remained unbeaten against the Yankees, improving to 3-0.
“I mean, for me, I grew up in it, so it kind of takes me back to being a kid, you know, mainly high school. You know, the first day of practice is March 1 and the first game is usually March 31 so you’re playing in this weather for three weeks, maybe a month. So yeah, for me, I try to use it to my advantage a little bit with how I gameplan, how I’m gonna attack the hitters,” Gallen said in an interview via MLB.com
Gallen kept the details of his approach under wraps, avoiding specifics on how cold weather influences his game plan.
Zac Gallen dominating the Yankees
The Diamondbacks pitcher dominated for 6.2 scoreless innings, surrendering just three hits without a walk. He threw 101 pitches, 64 for strikes. the Diamondbacks wasted no time against Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón, scoring four runs in the first two innings. While Rodón lasted six frames, all the damage had already been done.
The Yankees’ best chance against Gallen came in the second inning when Jazz Chisholm Jr. led off with a single and reached third after Austin Wells doubled with one out. However, Gallen shut down the rally by striking out the next two batters to escape unscathed.
Gallen praised catcher Gabriel Moreno for staying in sync with him, particularly during the second-inning jam. While Gallen has often called many of his own pitches using the PitchCom device, he relied on it for only about six of his 101 pitches in this outing.
Center fielder Ketel Marte drew a leadoff walk before Lourdes Gurriel Jr. crushed Rodon’s 94.2 mph four-seam fastball into the second deck, giving the Diamondbacks an early 2-0 lead. The homer was Gurriel Jr.’s second of the season and ended a frustrating slump against the Yankees, as he had gone hitless in his previous 34 at-bats against them.
Arizona’s offense started strong but faded, going hitless over the last seven innings. After Rodon left the mound, Yoendrys Gomez took over and shut down the D-backs, tossing three hitless innings in relief for the Yankees.
The post Zac Gallen rings up 13 Yankees thanks to cold-weather ‘advantage’ appeared first on ClutchPoints.
