The Yankees built a five-run lead before a seventh-inning rain delay paused Monday's game for about an hour, but they came back out and polished off their 6-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Yankee Stadium. >> Box Score
Five takeaways from Monday's game
1. For the second time this season, 2B DJ LeMahieu started the Yankees off with a lead-off home run -- he previously did so with his homer to begin last Wednesday's 9-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles. Facing Phillies RHP Jake Arrietta, LeMahieu sent a solo shot down the right-field line, just inside the foul pole and gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead in the first inning. A fifth-inning, two-out single brought LeMahieu to 2 for 4.
2. The long ball remained an early theme into the third inning, when LF Brett Gardner slapped an opposite-field solo shot to left -- just over the wall to give the Yankees a 2-1 edge. Gardner went 1 for 3.
3B Gio Urshela put the game out of reach with a decisive three-run homer in the sixth inning. Urshela, who went 1 for 4, has at least a hit in four straight games.
3. After hitting two home runs in Sunday's 9-7 win over the Boston Red Sox, his fifth straight game with a homer, RF Aaron Judge stayed hot. He started off with a first-inning single and added a third-inning double, subsequently scoring on CF Aaron Hicks' RBI double that increased the margin to 3-1. Judge went 2 for 4, bringing his batting average to .314. He did not hit a home run, snapping a five-game streak with at least one, but the production took on a different form.
4. In his pinstripes debut at Yankee Stadium, RHP Gerrit Cole gave the Yankees another quality outing, throwing 91 pitches over six innings. He scattered five hits on one run, a solo homer by DH Jay Bruce in the third inning, while striking out four and walking one. Although the Yankees ace did not necessarily have his best stuff, he improved to 3-0 through three starts, with 16 strikeouts against four walks over 16.2 innings.
5. In Phillies uniforms, a pair of familiar faces -- former manager Joe Girardi (2008-17) and SS Didi Gregorius (2015-19) -- returned to Yankee Stadium. The Yankees welcomed both back with respective tribute videos on the big screen in center field. Gregorius went 1 for 4, nearly homering off Cole in the sixth inning -- his upper-deck blast went far of the right-field foul pole -- before he popped up to LeMahieu to end the frame.
What’s next
After a postponement on Tuesday due to inclement weather with Tropical Storm Isaias hitting the East Coast, the Yankees and Phillies resume with a doubleheader Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. First pitch is set for 4:05 p.m., with starting pitchers still to be determined. LHP J.A. Happ (0-0, 9.00 ERA) would be due next in the Yankees rotation.