Juan Soto’s three-run triple highlighted a five-run seventh inning, helping lift the New York Yankees to an 8-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night in Anaheim, Calif.
The Yankees and Angels were engaged in a pitchers’ duel through six innings, as New York’s Carlos Rodon and Los Angeles’ Patrick Sandoval were locked in a 2-1 game.
The Angels’ Logan O’Hoppe hit a solo homer for the Angels’ run, while Aaron Judge’s two-homer gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead. Judge’s home run was his 24th extra-base hit of the month (12 homers, 12 doubles), tying Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig for the Yankees record for extra-base hits in May.
Sandoval (2-8) was finished after six innings, having made 102 pitches, and the Yankees immediately took advantage of the Angels’ beleaguered bullpen.
Angels side-armer Adam Cimber walked Alex Verdugo to start the seventh, a sign of things to come. DJ LeMahieu followed with a single, sending Verdugo to third.
One out later, Cimber walked the next three hitters, the bases-loaded walks to Oswaldo Cabrera and Anthony Volpe each forcing home a run and putting New York up 4-1.
Jose Suarez replaced Cimber and gave up the triple to Soto on his very first pitch, a grounder inside the first-base bag and into the right-field corner, driving in all three baserunners.
The Yankees finished with just five hits. Volpe went 0-for-4 with a walk, his hitting streak ending at 21 games.
The Angels took an early lead against Rodon, O’Hoppe getting ahold of a first-pitch fastball and hitting it over the fence in left field for his seventh home run and a 1-0 Angels lead.
Sandoval, meanwhile, held the Yankees scoreless through three innings, allowing only a walk. But he walked Soto to lead off the fourth, and Judge followed with his 18th homer of the season to tie for the major league lead.
That was all Sandoval allowed. He gave up two runs on two hits and three walks in six innings, striking out seven.
Rodon (7-2) gave up three runs on three hits and one walk in six-plus innings, striking out five.
–Field Level Media
