The Yankee offense needed a wake-up call, and they gave themselves a big one at the expense of a former teammate.
The Bombers came out firing in the bottom of the first inning against Corey Kluber on Saturday, tagging the veteran righty for six runs on eight hits in the shortest outing of the two-time Cy Young Award winner’s career, as Kluber lasted just 0.2 innings before his day was done.
The first seven Yankees singled to open Kluber’s day, the first time a team logged that many singles in a row to start a game since the 1988 Royals, when the likes of Bo Jackson, Danny Tartabull, Frank White, and George Brett did so against the Orioles on April 22.
That Baltimore team went on to lose that game, the 16th straight loss to open their season.
It was also the first time since 1990 that a Yankee team started a game with seven straight hits, something Don Mattingly, Roberto Kelly, Steve Sax, Kevin Maas, Hensley Meulens, Matt Nokes, Jim Leyritz, and Randy Velarde accomplished against the O’s on Sept. 25 of that otherwise lost season.
The Yanks needed a spark in a big game against the Rays, and it doesn’t get bigger than the one they collectively provided to start Saturday’s action.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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