Gardner, 'pen lift red-hot Yanks to win in 11th

NEW YORK -- The Yankees were short on starting pitching this turn through their rotation after right-hander Gerrit Cole and left-hander Jordan Montgomery both tested positive for COVID-19.

So manager Aaron Boone had to go with a bullpen game on Friday night against the Mariners at Yankee Stadium. Boone ended up using nine relievers, who combined to hold Seattle to two runs as New York went on to win, 3-2, in 11 innings. Brett Gardner delivered a walk-off RBI single to end it.

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The Yankees' ninth pitcher of the night, right-hander Albert Abreu, pitched a perfect 11th to earn the win. It was New York's fourth straight victory and ninth in its past 11 games, as it trails Oakland by 1 1/2 games for the second American League Wild Card spot.

“They answered the call,” Boone said of the bullpen. “A lot of them [were] in different situations, coming in at different times in the game. Everyone did their job and stepped up and executed. The Mariners are a good lineup that can hurt you in a lot of ways. [The bullpen] was able to navigate it to keep them at one run through nine innings.”

Gardner said the game was all about the 'pen. The way he saw it, the relievers thrived in spots they weren't accustomed to.

“Awesome,” Gardner said. "I know that’s not easy. To be able to get through the game and give up two runs, I thought the guys did really good.”

Boone gave credit to catcher Kyle Higashioka for handling nine different pitchers during the game.

“To be ready with the game plan and execute it, I thought his receiving was tremendous. It was especially noticeable tonight," Boone said. "He was terrific behind the plate."

Boone is also impressed with the way Abreu is performing this month. He has allowed one run in four innings after preserving the 2-2 tie in Friday's game, preventing the Mariners from plating their automatic runner in the 11th.

“He has grown leaps and bounds this year, from the end of Spring Training on to his Triple-A season and in [the Majors]," Boone said. “Tonight, he was in a huge spot, and he delivered.”

New York plated the winning run in the 11th against Seattle right-hander Keynan Middleton. With runners on first and second and two outs, Gardner swung at a 2-2 fastball and singled to center field, driving in automatic runner Joey Gallo.

"Gardner, really, he's a little pesky pain in the butt is what he is," Mariners manager Scott Servais said. "He's hard to get out. Late in the game, he knows he's got a small strike zone."

It was the Yankees’ eighth walk-off hit of the season. Gardner now has nine career walk-off hits, trailing only Graig Nettles (12) for the most by a Yanks player in the past 50 seasons, according to ESPN Stats & Info. It was Gardner's first walk-off hit since July 29, 2017.

The amazing part was that Gardner didn't enter the game until the eighth inning and still got three plate appearances and saw 21 pitches.

“Today, it wasn't a game where I was in the lineup,” Gardner said. “I ended up getting three at-bats, and every one of them it seemed like the game was on the line. You have to stay focused and stay ready. Tonight, things ended up in our favor. It worked out for us.”

The bullpen did yeoman’s work. So what happens to the 'pen on Saturday? For now, Boone doesn’t yet have an idea.

“We’ll figure it out," Boone said. "We’ll sleep on it and figure it out for tomorrow."