Maxwell's 13th-inning blast gives Yanks 2-1 win over Chiefs
Maxwell ended a nearly eight-inning scoring drought for the Yankees with his home run off of Syracuse reliever Jeff Mandel.
"I knew we had the opportunities all day and I was just happy that we came out ahead because we put ourselves in good situations pretty much the whole game we just couldn't push a run across," Maxwell said.
Maxwell's home run allowed the Yankees to breathe a sigh of relief after failing to score in the third inning, when they had runners at third and first and no outs, and in the fourth, when they had the bases loaded with nobody out.
"I was just looking for a pitch to drive, like I had been the whole game," Maxwell said.
For Maxwell, it was his fifth home run of the season, good for second on the team.
David Phelps started the game for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and delivered another solid starting effort by a Yankees pitcher.
Phelps tossed seven innings, allowing one run on a sixth-inning home run by Seth Bynum. He gave up six hits while striking out six and walking two.
"You go out there and try to put up a zero every time, but obviously there are times when your team needs it more than others," Phelps said.
The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre bullpen took it from there, with Eric Wordekemper, Andy Sisco, George Kontos and Amaury Sanit combining to throw six scoreless innings. The quartet allowed just one hit while striking out five and walking five more.
The Yankees improved to 12-6 on the season, and are 12-4 in their last 14 games.
The team now travels to Charlotte for the start of an eight-game road trip.