Kyle Higashioka hit a game-tying home run and Aaron Judge scored the go-ahead run that lifted the New York Yankees to a 5-4 comeback win over the host Texas Rangers in Game 1 of a doubleheader on Tuesday in Arlington, Texas.
The Yankees (99-61) have won the first two games of the series, and the Rangers (66-94) showed a willingness to pitch to Judge.
Sitting on 61 home runs, Judge went 1-for-5 as the designated hitter and he has two games remaining to chase that elusive No. 62. Judge is tied with Roger Maris for the most single-season homers in American League history.
In the eighth inning, the Yankees rallied for two runs to take the lead.
Higashioka tied it with a lead-off home run to center off Brock Burke, and Judge followed with a single to center. Anthony Rizzo was hit by a pitch, and both runners moved up on Oswaldo Cabrera’s sacrifice bunt. Bader’s single scored Judge to put New York in front by a run.
Both starters were effective, but neither was involved in the decision.
Rangers right-hander Jon Gray logged six innings, giving up three runs on four hits, including two home runs. Jameson Taillon of the Yankees gave up four runs on seven hits in six innings in his final start before the playoffs.
Judge, batting leadoff, jumped Gray’s first pitch in the first inning and tapped a routine grounder to short for an out. In the third inning, the MVP frontrunner flied out to right. Gray retired Judge for the third straight time on a popup to first base in the fifth inning.
Cabrera gave New York the first-inning lead with a homer. And Oswald Peraza’s first big-league homer came in the second inning.
The Rangers scored two in the first. Nathaniel Lowe singled with two out and Adolis Garcia was hit by a pitch, setting up Josh Jung’s two-run single to right.
Peraza set up the Yankees’ third run in the fifth inning. After slapping a single, he stole second and scored on Marwin Gonzalez’s single to left.
Garcia hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning for Texas, giving him 100 RBIs.
–Field Level Media
