Mickey Moniak, Patrick Sandoval Drive Angels Past Yankees

Mickey Moniak (16) of the Los Angeles Angels steals second base as Anthony Volpe #11 of the New York Yankees is unable to place the tag during the fifth inning of a game at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, Calif., on July 18, 2023. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Mickey Moniak went 3-for-4 and drove in three runs, and left-hander Patrick Sandoval pitched 7 1/3 innings of two-hit ball to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 5–1 victory over the New York Yankees on Tuesday, July 18, in Anaheim, Calif.

Yankees right-hander Domingo German, who threw the 24th perfect game in major league history on June 28, saw his perfect-game bid last just two pitches until Angels leadoff man Zach Neto punched a broken-bat single into right field.

German’s shutout lasted just two more batters. Moniak—the first overall pick of the 2016 draft who is becoming a breakout star for the Angels this season—crushed a fastball 413 feet into the right field bleachers for his 11th home run and a 2–0 Angels lead.

Sandoval had been the losing pitcher in six of his past nine starts, with opponents teeing off on his off-speed stuff, which he throws 70 percent of the time.

Patrick Sandoval (43) of the Los Angeles Angels pitches during the first inning of a game against the New York Yankees at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, Calif., on July 18, 2023. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

The Yankees got a run back in the third when Gleyber Torres turned on an elevated breaking ball from Sandoval for a 404-foot homer inside the left field foul pole.

German lost control in the third as he walked the bases loaded and the Angels took a 3–1 lead when Michael Stefanic scampered home to score on a wild pitch to the backstop.

Sandoval settled in after Torres’ homer and retired the next nine Yankees. He struck out the side in the fifth.

The Angels padded their lead in the bottom of the fifth when Shohei Ohtani laced a 110 mph liner into the right field corner for his major-league-best seventh triple of the year, driving in Neto.

Shohei Ohtani (17) celebrates with Carlos Estevez (53) of the Los Angeles Angels after defeating the New York Yankees in a game at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, Calif., on July 18, 2023. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Moniak then ripped a single through the right side of the Yankees’ drawn-in infield to score Ohtani for a 5–1 lead.

Sandoval (5–7) threw 99 pitches, struck out seven against three walks, and got 13 ground-ball outs before handing the ball over to relievers Jacob Webb and Carlos Estevez to finish up.

German (5–6) gave up five runs on four hits and three walks despite nine strikeouts in six innings.

The Angels guaranteed their first series win since mid-June and climbed back to the .500 mark after going 3–11 since June 27.

The Yankees took their third consecutive loss and fell to 2–8 in their past 10.