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Who says pitchers aren’t athletes?
New York Yankees reliever Fernando Cruz showed off his athleticism with a fantastic play on a bunt attempt in the eighth inning of the team’s 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night at Globe Life Field.
The Rangers were down 2-0 in the bottom of the eighth inning with runners on first and second, with cleanup hitter Joc Pederson at the plate. Pederson tried to surprise Cruz with a bunt.
Cruz was ready for it and came charging off the mound and slid to snag the ball. Cruz’s slide pointed him in the direction of third base, throwing the ball with as much velocity as he could muster, as he threw from his back.
Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon snared Cruz’s throw on the bounce while also stretching off the bag. Cruz’s throw narrowly beat the hustling Rangers third baseman Josh Jung to the bag for a crucial out.
The bunt play was an opportunity for Cruz to show off his skills from a prior baseball life, as he was drafted as an infielder before converting to a pitcher later in his career.
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Aaron Judge said he had Cruz talking about his infield past and jokingly said he might believe Cruz’s past.
“I think I might believe him now,” Judge said with a smile. “We’ll see. I need to see a couple more good plays like that. I’m more worried of having him just keep doing his thing on the mound. I think we’ll be good.”
Cruz’s next two outs were not as dramatic as his first out, but were just as important, as he struck out Jake Burger and pinch-hitter Ezequiel Duran to end the inning.
Judge hit a solo home run in the ninth inning, tying Chicago White Sox rookie Munetaka Murakami with his MLB-leading 12th of the season, to give the Yankees a 3-0 lead in the ninth inning.
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Judge’s homer ended up being the game-winning run, as the Rangers scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning and were threatening for more. However, Yankees closer David Bednar held on for the save with a game-ending double play after inducing a ground ball from Corey Seager.
With the win, the Yankees improved to an American League-best 20-10. They will look to complete the sweep when they play the Rangers (14-16) in the final game of the three-game series on Wednesday at 2:35 p.m. ET.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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