Zach Neto hit his first career grand slam in a six-run second inning off rookie Will Warren and drove in a career-high six runs as the Los Angeles Angels defeated the New York Yankees 8-2, splitting the doubleheader on Wednesday night.
In the first game, New York rookie Luis Gil struggled with his control but managed to pitch five scoreless innings, allowing only two hits in a 5-2 win. Neto also hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning of the opener before his standout performance in the second game.
Warren was one strike away from keeping the deficit at 2-0 in the second inning when Neto connected on a full-count sinker, sending it to the back of the Angels’ bullpen in left field to make it 6-0.
Neto’s 412-foot home run was his fifth in the last nine games and marked the Angels’ fifth grand slam of the season.
Neto topped his previous career high of four RBIs set on Saturday with a two-run double in the fourth inning, giving him six RBIs for the game and the Angels an 8-1 lead.
“I think it was pretty cool to be here and I definitely had a couple of angels out there looking over me,” said Neto, whose second career series in the majors was at Yankee Stadium in April 2023.
“I was able to have a pretty good day today.”
Neto, a 2022 first-round pick, became the first opposing shortstop to record six RBIs at any version of Yankee Stadium and joined Alex Rodriguez (2003) as the second opposing shortstop with six RBIs against the Yankees.
“Well, he must be a big-time player to do it in Yankee Stadium,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “All the players that may have done it here. Tonight, we needed everything he gave. We won that game 8-2 but at no time were we comfortable.”
“I think that’s memorable,” Neto said. “Being able to do that I think it’s an honor.”
Neto became the third Angels shortstop to have at least six RBIs, joining Jim Fregosi (1964) and Freddie Patek (1980). His eight RBIs in the doubleheader matched the team record for a doubleheader, previously set by Lee Thomas (1961), Bubba Morton (1967), and Ron Jackson (1976).
“He had a really great game tonight, all the way around,” Washington said.
Mickey Moniak had an RBI single, and Nolan Schanuel drew a walk with the bases loaded before Neto’s grand slam.
DJ LeMahieu hit an RBI single, and Gleyber Torres added a sacrifice fly for the Yankees, who lost for the second time in ten games. This ended their streak of ten straight games scoring at least four runs, their longest streak since September 2019.
Aaron Judge had a single in the first inning of the second game after reaching base four times in the first game. He had an RBI single and drew his 12th intentional walk of the season in the eighth inning of the opener.
Angels starter Carson Fulmer allowed two runs and seven hits but threw 90 pitches in four innings. Hunter Strickland (3-1) pitched two innings and needed just one pitch to get Juan Soto out with two on to end the sixth inning.
Warren, who was called up as New York’s 27th man, gave up eight runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings in his second career start. He had made his big-league debut last week in Philadelphia when Gerrit Cole was scratched due to fatigue.
“Just falling behind in the count and a couple of unlucky hits to start it and made a mistake to Neto, paid for it,” Warren said.
