Zac Gallen tied a career high with 13 strikeouts without a walk in 6 2/3 dominating innings as the Arizona Diamondbacks took an early lead and hung on for a 4-3 victory over the host New York Yankees on Wednesday night.
On a frigid 42-degree night, the Diamondbacks won their third straight by getting a four-run lead in the opening two innings against New York’s Carlos Rodon (1-1) and an overpowering outing by Gallen, who has pitched 18 2/3 scoreless innings in three career starts against the Yankees.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. blasted a two-run homer three batters into the game. Geraldo Perdomo lifted a sacrifice fly and Ketel Marte hit an RBI single after signing a six-year contract earlier in the day.
Those early runs were more than enough for Gallen (1-1), who notched his 14th career double-digit strikeout game. Gallen struck out slugger Aaron Judge three times, including twice on curveballs and used the pitch for nine strikeouts.
Gallen allowed his first hits in the second inning, when Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled and took third base on a double by Austin Wells. He ended the inning by fanning Jasson Dominguez and Ben Rice on curveballs and retired 16 of 17 before Wells singled again to end the right-hander’s stellar outing.
Gallen notched 13 strikeouts for the second time in his career (also Sept. 22, 2022 against the Los Angeles Dodgers). He also recorded the most strikeouts against the Yankees since Houston’s Cristian Javier also finished with 13 in seven innings in his combined no-hitter on June 25, 2022.
A.J. Puk allowed Anthony Volpe’s three-run homer with one out after Ryan Thompson opened the ninth by allowing consecutive singles to Cody Bellinger and Judge. Puk finished off his second save by retiring Wells and Dominguez
Rodon allowed four runs on three hits in six innings. The left-hander struck out five, walked four and also stayed in after taking a comebacker off his right forearm by Marte in the fifth.
After scoring 36 runs and hitting 15 homers in their season-opening three-game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers, the Yankees struck out 16 times. New York has struck out 30 times in its past two games.
Arizona went ahead when Gurriel lifted a 0-2 fastball into the second deck in left field as the ball stayed a few feet fair. After Perdomo’s fly ball, Marte singled to center for a 4-0 lead.
