Anthony Rizzo’s second home run of the night was a go-ahead, two-run shot with one out in the eighth inning to lift the host New York Yankees over the Tampa Bay Rays 6-5 on Friday night.
Aaron Judge drew a walk against Kevin Kelly and Tampa Bay brought in Jason Adam (0-1). Rizzo then hit Adam’s first-pitch changeup over the right field wall to give the Yankees their second lead of the game.
It was Rizzo’s 22nd career multi-homer game and second this season. It also occurred as the Yankees held “Star Wars Night” and gave fans a Mandalorian bobblehead with the first baseman’s likeness.
Rizzo’s go-ahead homer occurred after Michael King allowed Josh Lowe’s three-run homer that turned a 4-2 deficit into a 5-4 lead for the Rays in the top of the eighth.
Lowe’s homer occurred after Harold Ramirez singled down the right field line and Isaac Paredes singled when his fly ball to shallow left fell in between shortstop Anthony Volpe, left fielder Jake Bauers and center fielder Harrison Bader.
After Lowe’s homer, Clay Holmes (1-2) kept the deficit at one to set it up for Rizzo. Wandy Peralta allowed a two-out single to Paredes in the ninth before retiring pinch hitter Manuel Margot for his first save.
Before Lowe connected, Volpe lined a single off Kelly down the left field line in the seventh inning to score Bader, who had used his speed to avoid hitting into a double play after DJ LeMahieu was thrown out at second.
Cabrera singled in Bauers to make it 4-2, but he halted the rally when he was thrown out at second trying to stretch the hit.
Randy Arozarena and Jose Siri homered off Gerrit Cole in the opening two innings. Rizzo homered in the first and Volpe went deep in the fifth to knot it 2-2.
After Tampa Bay opener Trevor Kelley went the first two innings, Josh Fleming allowed one run on three hits in four innings.
Cole allowed two runs on five hits in five innings. He struck out four, walked two and took a second straight no-decision against the Rays.
Arozarena opened the scoring by hammering Cole’s 1-1 fastball to the second deck in left three batters in, but Rizzo lined a 1-1 pitch from Kelley down the right field line in the bottom half. Siri homered off Cole for the second time this week when he sent a 1-1 fastball down the left field line before Volpe tied it with a drive to right.
–Field Level Media
