Luis Gil had a great game after coming back from Tommy John surgery, and the New York Yankees kicked off the season with a five-game winning streak for the first time in 32 years, beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-2 on Monday night.
Anthony Volpe had his first-ever game with four hits, including two doubles, and got an RBI. The last time the Yankees started with five wins in a row was in 1933, 1988, and 1992. In 1927, they began 6-0 but had a tie in their third game.
Gil returned to the MLB for the first time since May 12, 2022, throwing some impressive fastballs, reaching speeds of up to 100 miles per hour.
Even though Gil wasn’t initially expected to start for the Yankees, manager Aaron Boone praised his excellent performance during spring training. Gil proved himself on Monday, allowing only one hit in 4 2/3 innings while walking three and striking out six.
The Yankees took a 2-0 lead in the second inning with an RBI single from Oswaldo Cabrera and an RBI double by Gleyber Torres.
In the third inning, New York extended their lead to 5-0, capitalizing on two walks and two errors by the D-backs. Volpe brought in the first run with an RBI single, and Austin Wells scored the second with a sacrifice fly. Volpe scored the third run of the inning on the same sacrifice fly.
D-backs left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. made a misdirected throw to home, allowing Volpe to rush to third base. Then, pitcher Ryne Nelson made a poor throw to third, letting Volpe score. Both Gurriel and Nelson were charged with errors in the play.
Nelson was pulled out after giving up five runs, including four earned, over 2 2/3 innings. He allowed five hits, walked four, and struck out two. Luke Weaver earned the win, conceding one run over 2 1/3 relief innings. Victor González got his first save with a scoreless ninth inning.
Arizona’s Ketel Marte had one of the team’s four hits and two RBIs, both on sacrifice flies. The Yankees began the season with a four-game sweep against the Houston Astros. All five of their wins came on the road.
