Yankees saved by another clutch Gio Urshela homer

BALTIMORE — After hobbling around Thursday night, Gio Urshela said he felt good enough to play Friday, but Aaron Boone thought it would be better to keep him off his feet. The Yankees third baseman had dealt with swelling in his left knee last weekend that forced him to miss three games and Boone didn’t want to risk losing him for more.

But when the big moment came Friday night, Boone did not hesitate to go to Urshela, who has become one of the Yankees’ best clutch hitters. Pinch-hitting with two on in the seventh inning, Urshela battled off eight pitches before crushing a three-run homer to give the Yankees a 5-4, come-from-behind win over the Orioles at Camden Yards.

“Wow,”  Aaron Judge said. “That was a tough at-bat, one I expect out of Gio. Day in and day out and that’s what he’s done his whole career is have big at bats. He battled off some pitches and that was all we needed. Especially in a situation like that, it’s tough coming off the bench. You haven’t been in the game, you haven’t been in the flow seeing pitches but a guy like Gio, he’s always locked in ready to roll. He  was able to barrel one up and give us a lead.

“That was the swing of the night right there.”

That gave Corey Kluber his third win of the season. He allowed four runs on seven hits, walked two and struck out six in six innings. It gave the Yankees (21-17) their third win on the road trip and five out of their last six.

Judge had two pretty good swings himself Friday night, connecting on two homers. It was his 13th career multi-home run game and the Yankees’ sixth of the season, the first since DJ LeMahieu hit two May 7 against the Nationals. It was Judge’s third of the season, leading the major leagues.

For Urshela clutch hits are a pretty consistent theme.

It was his 14th (out of 32) homers with the Yankees that has either given them the lead or tied a game. Wednesday night, Urshela’s double to set up Aaron Hicks’ game-winning sacrifice fly got overshadowed by Gerrit Cole’s dominating performance.

Friday night was more impressive in the way he battled Travis Lakins, Sr.

After Miguel Andujar snapped an 0-for-15 start to the season with a ground-ball single up the middle and Kyle Higashioka drew a walk, with the Yankees trailing 4-2, Aaron Boone called on Urshela to hit for Tyler Wade.

At 2-2, Urshela fouled off four straight pitches (two cutters, two fastballs) before Lakins, Sr. threw a 93-mile an hour cutter over the outer corner of the plate that did not break.

Urshela launched it into the seats in right-center field.

“He’s a pitcher who throws a lot of cutters so just trying to use the whole field trying to swing the ball in the zone,” Urshela said of the nine-pitch battle he won. “And  thank God I got the homer.”

Even though the Yankees were down two men — Giancarlo Stanton was scratched before the game with a tight left quad and Aaron Hicks is out with a torn sheath around the tendon in his left wrist — and still without shortstop Gleyber Torres on the COVID-19 list, Boone wanted to give Urshela a chance to stay off the balky knee.

“I took some treatment,” Urshela said, “and it feels more comfortable.”

Urshela said he spent the game in the weight room keeping his body warm and preparing himself for a big spot. In the seventh, with the Yankees down two runs, Boone did not hesitate.

“I mean, off the bench or not, it was one of those just really good at bats. And obviously in a huge spot in the game down a couple runs with runners out there,” Boone said. “To foul off I don’t know how many pitches ended up being in the bat and then really just absolutely get into one. It was just a big time at-bat by a really good player.

“Glad I had that sitting over there tonight as a weapon, obviously.”