On Tuesday night, the New York Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins 6-1 in a game that was marred by an umpire interference incident. Yankees starting pitcher Germán pitched seven strong innings, allowing only one run on four hits while striking out eight batters.
The game was scoreless until the fourth inning when the Yankees scored three runs on a two-run double by catcher Gary Sánchez and an RBI single by designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton. The Twins responded with a run in the bottom of the fourth, but Germán settled in and shut down the Twins for the rest of the game.
In the sixth inning, the Twins had runners on first and second with two outs when Twins batter Jorge Polanco hit a ground ball to third baseman Gio Urshela. Urshela fielded the ball and threw it to first baseman Luke Voit for the out, but home plate umpire Will Little ruled that Voit had interfered with Polanco’s swing. Little called the batter safe and awarded the Twins an additional run, giving them a 2-1 lead.
The Yankees protested the call and after a lengthy review, Little reversed his decision and ruled that Voit had not interfered with Polanco’s swing. The Twins were forced to take the out and the run was taken off the board.
The Yankees took advantage of the reversal and scored five runs in the top of the seventh inning to take a 6-1 lead. Germán was credited with the win, improving his record to 10-2 on the season.
The Yankees and Twins will meet again on Wednesday night for the second game of their three-game series. The Yankees will be looking to extend their lead in the American League East while the Twins will be looking to even up the series.
Germán’s performance on Tuesday night was a crucial part of the Yankees’ victory and his ability to stay composed after the umpire interference incident was impressive. The Yankees will need Germán to continue to pitch well if they hope to remain atop the AL East standings.
