Cole Hamels Throttles Pirates In 1-0 Win; Neil Walker's Homer Leads Yankees Over Blue Jays

Players of the Day for Friday, August 17, 2018

American League

Walker: 3-run HR

Neil Walker's fourth inning home run turned the tide against the visiting Blue Jays, paving the way to a rain-shortened, 7-5 victory for the New York Yankees.

Down 4-2, Walker launched a Marcus Stroman offering into the right field stands, giving the Yankees their first lead of the game. The Jays tied the game at five in the top of the fifth, but the Yankees countered with a run of their own in the bottom of the frame. After Giancarlo Stanton belted his 31st homer of the season - a solo shot - rain began to fall and out came the tarp. After a delay of more than an hour, the crew made the game official with one out in the bottom of the seventh.

The win snapped a two game losing streak and left the Yankees 10 1/2 behind the Red Sox in the AL East and three games better than Oakland in the wild card race. Oakland defeated Houston, 4-3, in 10 innings.

New York hosts Toronto in game two of their three-game series Saturday, 1:00 pm EDT.

Hamels: 7 scoreless

National League

Extending their lead in the NL Central to 4 1/2 games, the Chicago Cubs took their second straight 1-0 win at Pittsburgh, doing it all with pitching and defense.

Cole Hamels tossed seven scoreless innings for his third win since joining the Cubs at the end of July. Hamels scattered five hits and two walks, striking out three. He was aided by a record=tying seven double plays turned in by the Cubs' infield, five of which were turned while Hamels was on the mound. The eighth and ninth innings were both ended by double plays.

The double killings by the Cubs tied a major league record held by the 1942 Yankees and 1969 Astros.

Kyle Schwarber's second inning home run was all that was needed by Hamels and four relievers. In four starts for the Cubs, Hamels has been magnificent, going 3-0 with one no decision, giving up 16 hits and two earned runs over 25 innings with six walks and 23 strikeouts. The lone no decision came in an August 12, 4-3, win over Washington in which Hamels allowed one hit and one run over seven innings.

Chicago has won three straight while the Brewers have lost two of three and are being pressured by the red-hot Cardinals, winners of nine of their last 10. The Cardinals are just 1/2-game behind the Brewers.

The Cubs and Pirates go at it again in game three of their four-game series on Saturday night at Wrigley Field. Game time is 7:05 pm EDT.