Chad Green Picks Up Save in Yankees' Win

By Larry Fleisher

The Sports Xchange

NEW YORK -- Chad Green gives the New York Yankees the impression of being someone who is calm in difficult situations.

The memory Green and the Yankees will have from the right-hander's first career save is his instincts.

Green highlighted 2 1/3 scoreless innings by contributing to a double play to the end the eighth inning and the Yankees ended a 10-game homestand with a 5-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Sunday.

"He's calm," Yankees catcher Brian McCann said. "The game goes slow for him, which is good. When you're a rookie, sometimes the game speeds up but he's able to slow the game down."

Those traits were evident with one out in the eighth and the tying run on deck when Ramiro Pena hit a ground ball past the diving attempt of first baseman Mark Teixeira to second baseman Starlin Castro, who fielded it at the edge of the grass.

Green quickly ran from the mound to cover first base, got the first out and as Mac Williamson rounded third, he completed the double play. Green finished off the play by bouncing a throw to Chase Headley but the third baseman dove to his left and applied the tag on Williamson's arm.

"To be athletic enough to get over, cover first base and then have the awareness to make the throw to third base, the game is not sped up on him at all," McCann said.

Green was prepared to make the play.

"This might be the first time it's ever happened, but it's something we do," Green said. "We work on it pretty much in spring training and every day throughout the year.

Green was protecting a three-run lead because Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman were unavailable. The trio of hard-throwers had thrown a combined 132 pitches in seven innings over the past two games.

"It's really the play of the game," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.

Green's save began when he entered with the bases loaded in the seventh and the Yankees holding a 5-0 lead. He gave up a two-run single to Buster Posey but retired Brandon Crawford.

After getting the double play, Green finished off the save by getting Brandon Belt on a groundout with the tying run on deck and Angel Pagan on third.

Before Green's save, Nathan Eovaldi (9-6) allowed two runs and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings. He threw 118 pitches, two shy of his career high and exited with runners at second and third.