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If I’m being completely honest, I’m not really a fan of when the Halos lose. I’m also not a huge fan of when they lose to the Yankees. I loathe when they lose to the Yankees via 10th-inning go-ahead homer, and I detest when said heartbreaking contest takes out Shohei Ohtani via ankle sprain. All of those things happened tonight at the Big A, so it’s safe to say that I’m not a happy writer at the moment.
Such is life at home for the Angels in 2018, I guess.
This game started with some seriously badass events that got Halos fans fist-pumping and hollering at the top of their lungs. There was an insanely sweet, 410 ft homer from Ohtani, which put the hometown team up 1-0 in the second inning. There was a dramatic and eye-popping catch from Kole Calhoun in right field, in which he reminded us why he’s known as The Red Baron by laying out, full extension, to rob what would’ve been a few extra bases, much to the delight of starter Andrew Heaney.
Those things were good, as Rocky Dennis would say. But as Rocky Dennis would also say, these things were a drag: The Yankees tying things up on a sac fly, and then going ahead 2-1 in the top of the sixth via yet another sac fly. The night was not yet over for the Angels, however, as Andrelton Simmons played the part of the temporary hero by hitting a triple which put the good guys up 3-2 heading into the later frames.
Things fell apart, of course. In the ninth, with Keynan Middleton on the bump, the Yankees tied things up with...yes, you guessed it...a sac fly, sending us into the ninth and beyond into free baseball territory, the score knotted up at three runs apiece. The Halos didn’t have anybody willing to play the part of deus ex machina this evening, but the New York nuisances had someone ready to throw down and disappoint the bevy of red in attendance.
Didi Gregorius, with Blake Parker pitching in the top of the 10th, hit a solo shot that put the Yankees up 4-3, and that would ultimately seal the win for the visiting legion of horribles. The Halos didn’t have an answer for NY closer Aroldis Chapman, naturally, and went down quickly and easily in the bottom of the tenth, stranding one guy at second and squandering any chance of magic.
With that Gregorius homer in the 10th, the Yankees would wrap up this series opener, all while Ohtani’s ankle was getting checked out and, probably, prayed over, endlessly, to whomever would listen. That never came to fruition, as you can very well guess or, better yet, remember yourself as you were actually at one of those special games. Yep, the Yankees would end up winning 4-3, solidifying their win over those pesky Angels, and that was that.
Is there such thing as a pyrrhic loss? Or is that just known as a regular, run of the mill loss? With the victory in their grasp, the Angels gifted the win away to those bums, and in the process got one of their star players knocked out with an iffy injury. Awesome. /SARCASM
OK...welp, let’s just forget about this one for now. We’ll take a bath on that one, guys. Tomorrow is another day. Right? It is, right?!?!