Aaron Judge hit his second two-run homer of the game in the sixth inning as the New York Yankees rallied from a six-run deficit and then held on for a 9-8 victory over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays.
The Yankees won for the eighth time in 11 games by pulling off their biggest comeback this year after Nestor Cortes allowed Yandy Diaz’s first career grand slam.
Kyle Higashioka and Judge hit two-run homers in the fifth to knock out Shane McClanahan early before the Yankees were sparked by rookie Anthony Volpe in the sixth.
Volpe opened the sixth with a bunt single and stole two bases before scoring on a wild pitch by Ryan Thompson (1-1) during an at-bat to Gleyber Torres. After Torres walked, Judge lifted a 1-2 slider into the second deck in left field to give the Yankees a 7-6 lead.
After Judge’s 439-foot blast, Oswaldo Cabrera delivered with a two-run single off Javy Guerra to make it 9-6.
Diaz hit his first career grand slam in the fifth inning, two batters after Cortes was called for a pitch clock violation that resulted in a walk to Jose Siri. Randy Arozarena followed Diaz’s drive into the left field bleachers with an RBI infield single off Jimmy Cordero (3-1) after the Rays successfully overturned the initial call on replay.
Arozarena also scored on an RBI single by Taylor Walls in the second and hit a two-run single in the seventh off Clay Holmes.
Cortes allowed six runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings. He loaded the bases by allowing a hit to Francisco Mejia to set it up for Diaz.
Cordero pitched a 1-2-3 sixth after preventing the Rays from getting a seventh run. Holmes stranded Brandon Lowe in the seventh after inheriting a jam from Ron Marinaccio and allowing Arozarena’s hit.
Holmes also got a called third strike on Diaz to end the eighth, and Wandy Peralta retired Lowe for his second save after walking Arozarena.
McClanahan allowed four runs on five hits in a season-low four-plus innings.
–Field Level Media
