Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees' Joey Gallo Hits First Home Run of Season

It took until the 17th game of the regular season, but Joey Gallo has his first homer in 2022.

Max Goodman

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Finally, Joey Gallo is on the board.

The Yankees outfielder smacked his first home run of the season on Tuesday evening at Yankee Stadium against the Orioles, a solo shot off right-hander Jordan Lyles to the opposite field. 

Gallo's first long ball of the year flew 426 feet, soaring off his bat at 110.4 mph.

In a game the Yankees ended up winning 12-8, Gallo wasn't the only player in pinstripes that left the yard. Anthony Rizzo went deep three times—yup, a hat trick for the first baseman—for the first time in his career. He now leads the league with eight homers this season.

READ: Anthony Rizzo's First Career Three-Homer Game Gives Him MLB Lead in Home Runs

Aaron Judge homered as well, going deep on his birthday for the second time of his career. 

Gallo hasn't exactly roared out of the gates this season, struggling to find results through these first few weeks. Entering play on Tuesday night, the slugger was hitting .146 (7-for-48) with 22 strikeouts. His RBI double on Sunday against Cleveland was his first extra base hit and first RBI of the year. 

As Gallo returned to the dugout after his blast on Tuesday, his teammates had some fun with the left fielder, giving him the silent treatment.

Gallo failed to make a strong first impression with the Yankees fan base during his debut with the club last summer, coming over at the trade deadline in a blockbuster deal with the Rangers. The outfielder hit .160 over 58 games with 88 strikeouts and 13 home runs.

We'll see if Tuesday's big fly can get Gallo going. Strikeouts are a big part of his game, but he's also a threat to go deep every trip to the plate when he's on. The slugger mashed 40-plus home runs twice with Texas earlier in his career. 

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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