The Yankees have been on a roll ever since losing three games in
the first half and finishing in third place.
The Yankees have been on a roll ever since losing three games in the first half and finishing in third place.
Since then, the Yankees have won 12 consecutive games, including the Hollister Little League American League Championship on Monday night at Veteran’s Park.
The Yankees (19-3) defeated the Athletics 6-2. The A’s, who won the first half championship, have also put together an impressive record at 18-4. Both teams advance to play in the Tournament of Champions beginning Saturday.
“No one expected us to do anything this year because this was supposed to be a rebuilding year for us,” said A’s manager Mitch Burley.
In the first half, the Yankees lost their game against the A’s and also lost to the Orioles and Cardinals. But the Yankees started off the second half by beating the Brewers to give them their only loss of the season.
“We have been hitting the ball pretty well in the second half,” said Yankees manager Robert Fabing. “I knew we would put the ball in play. We beat a good team to win the championship. They don’t win 18 games for nothing – not in our league.”
Last time the two teams met, Kyle Vallejo threw a one-hitter in the Yankees’ 7-0 victory. Vallejo wasn’t bad this time around either. He scattered five hits and had 13 strikeouts.
“I knew that once we went up up three or four runs, they wouldn’t be able to hit Kyle,” Fabing said. “He’s a bulldog. He throws hard and has a good breaking ball. He keeps everyone off balance.”
The Yankees got off to a quick start in the first inning as Fabing singled and scored on Vallejo’s triple.
In the third inning, Trevor Fabing hit a bloop double to bring in Craig Slibsager. Fabing went to third on a passed ball and scored on a fielder’s choice by Vallejo to put the Yankees up 3-1.
In the fourth inning, William Cross led off with a double and was replaced by pinch runner Nathaniel Garza. Manny Bueno laid down a bunt to move Garza to third.
And Garza scored on a bunt by Andre Cornell. The A’s got the out at first, but the ball got by the pitcher, and Garza alertly scampered home.
The Yankees scored two more runs in the fifth inning. Fabing reached on an error then scored on a double by Vallejo. Manny Bueno capped the scoring with an RBI base hit.
Kenny Sabate pitched a solid game for the A’s, going all six innings. The A’s manufactured a run in the first inning. Leadoff hitter Andy Vargas reached on a little dinker hit and moved around on wild pitches. He scored on an overthrow to first base.
Although the A’s were shutout in the middle innings, they made things interesting in the sixth inning.
Kenny Sabate and Vallen Shaw-Fuss had base hits in the inning. Kallin Corotto knocked in the run with a fielder’s choice.
In the inning, Yankees’ third baseman Darin Gillies made a nice play to get an out. The A’s left two runners on base.
“There was no way we were going to let them bunt on us, and that is all they like to do,” Fabing said. “We shut them out when they got anything going except in the last inning when we were trading runs for outs.”
In the single elimination Tournament of Champions, the Yankees will play Continental at Continental Park in Salinas on Saturday at 10 a.m., while the A’s play at noon against Gonzalez at Hartnell.
The teams will have to win four games to win the championship.
The Yankees may have the advantage because of their pitching depth with players like Vallejo, Cross, Fabing and Darin Gillies.
