It wasn't pretty, but I'm sure David Phelps'll take it.
The young right hander, coming off a rough start last Sunday in Milwaukee in which he gave up 4 earned runs in 5+ frames, threw 100 pitches through 5 shutout innings today, as the Yankees beat up the visiting Pirates by a dominant score of 7-1.
During those five at-bats, Phelps actually let 9 of the 22 hitters he faced reach base, yet didn't allow a run due to a solid 5 strikeouts.
After his departure, Relievers Dellin Betances (ER, 2 innings), Adam Warren (0 R, 1 inning), and Matt Daley (0 R, 1 inning) combined to get the last nine outs, and, thanks to five home runs from 1B Mark Teixeira (2-run), LF Zoilo Almonte, CF Brett Gardner, RF Alfonso Soriano, and Catcher Brian McCann (also a 2-run) the Yanks emerged victorious.
That shot from Teixeira, his 9th of the year, was interestingly the 350th of his career, putting the Yanks up 2-0.
In the end, that would be all the Pinstripes would need, but still, the rest were definitely cool.
In particular, Almonte's brought a rush of excitement to those watching, as it easily cleared the first section of the right-center field stands.