The Yankees overcame some sloppy baserunning to come away with a walk-off 5-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.
Here are some key takeaways…
– It didn’t take the Rays very long to get to Domingo German. With a man on in the top of the first, Austin Meadows drilled an inside fastball into the second deck in right, giving Tampa an early 2-0 lead.
– Aaron Boone rolled out a different-looking lineup on Tuesday, with both Gleyber Torres and Giancarlo Stanton getting the night off.
The lineup got off to a slow start, as they didn’t put a runner on base until Tyler Glasnow walked Clint Frazier with two outs in the third. But back-to-back singles from DJ LeMahieu and Rougned Odor loaded the bases with two away for Aaron Judge, who worked a walk to put the Yankees on the board. With Gio Urshela batting, Glasnow uncorked a wild pitch, and LeMahieu’s aggressive baserunning allowed him to score and tie the game on a ball that didn’t get all that far away from Mike Zunino.
– Miguel Andujar gave the Yankees a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth, his second in as many days. Andujar drove a first-pitch fastball from Glasnow over the wall in right field, giving German the lead for the first time.
– But that lead didn’t last very long at all, as Kevin Kiermaier worked a 3-2 count before blasting a solo home run to right field. His first long ball of the season tied the game 3-3 in the top of the fifth.
– German’s day came to an end after 5.0 innings, as he allowed three earned on three hits while striking out five. He wasn’t very sharp, but he pitched well enough to keep the Yankees in the game.
To start the sixth, Boone went with Wandy Peralta, who walked both Ji-Man Choi and Meadows with one out. Jonathan Loaisiga was able to come in and pitch out of the jam, though, thanks in part to a great play by Gary Sanchez behind the plate, who blocked a ball in the dirt and picked Meadows off first base for a huge second out.
– The game stayed tied into the bottom of the seventh, when Sanchez ripped a ball down the left-field line for a leadoff double. But Sanchez committed yet another baserunning blunder for the Yankees this season, as he took off for third on a grounder in front of him to short, and he was easily tagged out after a quick rundown. It was the Yankees’ 27th out committed on the bases this year, nearly double the league average.
-Sanchez’s adventurous night continued in the top of the eighth. After Meadows walked with two outs, he stole second as Sanchez’s throw sailed into center. Chad Green then bounced a wild pitch that Sanchez couldn’t handle, allowing Meadows to get to third. Frazier then saved the say with a spectacular diving catch in right on a Joey Wendle blooper to keep the game tied.
– With two on and two out in the eighth, Boone called upon Giancarlo Stanton to pinch-hit for Mike Ford. Facing J.P. Feyereisen, Stanton grounded to short for the force-out to end the inning.
The Yankees then turned to Aroldis Chapman in the ninth inning of a tied game, and he kept the game tied. In the bottom of the ninth, the Yankees found some two-out magic, as Brett Gardner and Frazier walked. LeMahieu hit one hard, but right at second baseman Brandon Lowe, and the game went to extras.
– In the bottom of the 10th, Odor moved LeMahieu to third base with a groundout, and after Judge was intentionally walked to put two runners on, Boone called on Gleyber Torres to pinch-hit with two outs. Torres worked a walk to load the bases for Sanchez, but he whiffed on a breaking ball to keep the game going.
– The game stayed tied into the bottom of the 11th, when Frazier finally delivered, drilling an Andrew Kittredge slider over the wall in left for a two-run shot. It was the big hit the Yankees have been desperately in need of, and Frazier delivered with his fifth home run of the year.
HIGHLIGHTS
What’s next
The Yankees and Rays go at it again on Wednesday night at 7:05 p.m.
It will be a battle of lefties as Jordan Montgomery faces Shane McClanahan.