BRADENTON, Fla. – The Yankees’ lefty relief pitcher Wandy Peralta is adept in shaking off hitters of any class. But with his new pitch time,e can do it at lightning speed. Thursday’s second inning against the Pirates saw Wandy Peralta throw three pitches and strike out Tucupita Marcano.
The Yankees squarely defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates’ split squad 9-1 in the Grapefruit League. Wandy Peralta, a 31-year-old veteran who has played for the Reds, Giants, and now the Yankees, showed how he can use his shrewdness and the new rules to make a deadly combination.
Wandy Peralta threw a slider at 85 mph, which caught 23-year-old Marcano by surprise and led to a quick strike. He then threw a sinker at 94 mph over Marcano’s swing for strike two. The Pittsburgh outfielder was caught off guard by Peralta’s changeup, which led to strike three.
“You know what, it’s right up his alley,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone told to reporters after his club’s vioctory. “It just gives him something else to mess with.”
Wandy Peralta, who was the relief pitcher for the Yankees, only allowed Marcano to swing on the second pitch.
For New York, Anthony Volpe hit a solo home run in the first inning, Rafael Ortega added a two-run blast and an RBI triple, and Andres Chaparro capped the scoring with a grand slam in the ninth. Until Drew Maggi’s solo home run in the bottom of the ninth, the Pirates were restricted to just two hits by starter Lou Trivino and eight relievers.
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