NEW YORK – Walking into the Yankees’ clubhouse for the first time, Luis García Jr. said he felt “very fortunate” to find a locker stocked with fresh pinstripes, remarking: “As players, I think everybody wants an opportunity to wear this jersey.”
He’ll never forget his first time -- though his new teammates would’ve preferred a different outcome.
García launched a go-ahead two-run homer that helped erase an early six-run deficit, but the Cardinals’ Nathan Church responded with a three-run blast as part of a seven-run eighth inning, shifting the tides of the Yankees’ 13-7 loss on Monday at Yankee Stadium.
“It means a lot to be able to connect there,” García said through interpreter Marlon Abreu. “I’m really just going there to try to do my job, try to find a pitch where I can put my team on top. The whole moment, I’m going to cherish it.”
Church’s deciding blast came in the eighth inning, coming off Angel Chivilli, who hadn’t allowed an earned run since April 16. Jimmy Crooks lifted a two-run shot later in the inning, and Alec Burleson added his third homer of the game, a two-run blast.
Charged with six earned runs in one inning, Chivilli was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. There were more moves in the works.
As the Yankees prepare to promote infielder George Lombard Jr., the No. 20 prospect in all of baseball according to MLB Pipeline, New York optioned shortstop Anthony Volpe to Triple-A.
Also headed to the Minors is outfielder Jasson Domínguez, whose roster spot will be claimed by Heliot Ramos, a veteran right-handed hitting outfielder who was acquired from the Giants shortly before the 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline.
Come Tuesday, it’ll be a new-look Yankees roster, one which general manager Brian Cashman said is better equipped for manager Aaron Boone’s mixing and matching – even if the club was unable to acquire a catcher and high-leverage reliever, as it had intended.
“In a lot of ways, it was good to see us swing the bat like this,” Boone said. “I thought we had a lot of good at-bats, obviously highlighted by Luis. Giving us the lead there, it was an awesome way to debut. Hopefully there’s a lot more of that to come.”
In the midst of a breakout season with the Nationals that included career highs in homers (23) and RBIs (76), García was obtained in a five-player deal on Sunday, intended to provide thump for a Yankees lineup that has sorely lacked it.
Through one game, the returns looked solid. García notched his first Yankees hit with a fourth-inning single, but his big moment came in the seventh, after Ryan McMahon and José Caballero opened the inning with back-to-back homers.
García hammered a George Soriano changeup into the right-center-field bullpen, giving the Yanks their first lead of the evening.
“It definitely felt like we had a chance there to win the game,” García said. “Unfortunately, that’s baseball sometimes.”
Austin Wells and Trent Grisham also homered for New York. Wells’ blast was an encouraging sign as the Yankees plan to move forward with him as their starting catcher; he has a .973 OPS over his past 16 games (since July 9).
Though the Yankees engaged with the Orioles about Adley Rutschman and also were connected to the Twins’ Ryan Jeffers and the Reds’ Tyler Stephenson, Cashman ultimately stood pat.
“I have no control over that,” Wells said. “I just try to go up there and have good at-bats and get zeros on the board for our pitchers, which unfortunately we did not do tonight.”
That’s because Cam Schlittler’s pinpoint command was absent, as the right-hander endured his shortest outing of the season – just three innings, needing 83 pitches (51 strikes) to navigate that.
Schlittler struck out six but walked five, permitting four runs and four hits. His American League-best ERA rose to 2.26.
“I’ve got to limit the walks. I can’t give them free bases,” Schlittler said.
Beyond Chivilli’s rough outing, Tim Hill was charged with a couple of runs and Ryan Yarbrough permitted one.
Overall, the Yankees’ bullpen has been a strength, and Boone said he didn’t see one night’s results as a warning sign – especially with Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt moving toward big league returns, a ripple effect that could bolster the bullpen.
“I feel really good about our ‘pen,” Boone said. “You’re going to have the occasional night like this.”