Jameson Taillon took a perfect game into the eighth inning and pinch hitter Anthony Rizzo hit a two-run single in the bottom of the eighth as the New York Yankees earned a 2-1 win over the visiting Los Angeles Angels on Thursday, completing a doubleheader sweep.
Taillon (6-1) lost his bid for the 24th perfect game in baseball history when Jared Walsh hit an 0-2 curveball up the middle leading off the eighth. The ball deflected off shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s glove to left fielder Miguel Andujar.
Taillon was bidding for the first perfect game since Felix Hernandez had one against Baltimore on Aug. 15, 2012, in Seattle. The last perfect game by a Yankee was July 18, 1999, by David Cone against the Montreal Expos. Cone was doing analysis in the YES Network booth on Thursday.
It was the second time a Yankee took a no-hitter into the eighth this season. On May 9, Nestor Cortes came within five outs against the Texas Rangers in a 1-0 game, when Rizzo drove in the game’s only run.
On Thursday, Taillon allowed one run on two hits in eight innings. He struck out five, walked none and threw 64 of 101 pitches for strikes.
After ending Taillon’s bid for history, Walsh advanced to third on a groundout by Brandon Marsh. Walsh then scored the game’s first run with two outs when Kurt Suzuki singled to left.
The Yankees came right back in the bottom half against Oliver Ortega (1-2) and Archie Bradley.
Andujar started the rally with a one-out double and took third when Ortega threw ball four to Kiner-Falefa to the backstop. Following a walk to Aaron Hicks, Bradley struck out Joey Gallo, but Rizzo gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead when he grounded a 1-2 fastball up the middle.
Before Walsh ended Taillon’s perfect game, the Angels produced few hard outs while seeing six different pitches from the right-hander, who has undergone Tommy John surgery twice and survived testicular cancer.
Shohei Ohtani nearly ended the bid in the seventh when he hit a ground ball up the middle. Kiner-Falefa ranged to his left and got the out when first baseman DJ LeMahieu scooped the throw out of the dirt.
Taillon’s flirtation with history and Rizzo’s clutch hit gave the Yankees their seventh win in nine games since their only three-game losing streak this season, May 22-23.
In the ninth, Clay Holmes loaded the bases with two outs before getting his seventh save as the Yankees completed the doubleheader sweep after recording a 6-1 victory in the first game.
Los Angeles right-hander Reid Detmers, who threw a no-hitter on May 10 against the Tampa Bay Rays, allowed five hits in 4 1/3 scoreless innings.
–Field Level Media
