Rookie Anthony Volpe hit a game-ending sacrifice fly in the 10th inning after Aaron Judge hit a tying homer off Felix Bautista in the ninth as the host New York Yankees outlasted the Baltimore Orioles for a 6-5 victory on Tuesday night.
The Yankees won their fifth straight and moved a season-high 10 games over .500 at 30-20 when Volpe brought home the winning run off Bryan Baker (3-2).
Isiah Kiner-Falefa ran for DJ LeMahieu and moved to third on Harrison Bader’s groundout. After the Orioles intentionally walked Willie Calhoun, Volpe won it on the next pitch with a fly ball just in front of the center field warning track to give New York its fourth walk-off win this year.
Judge saw two 100 mph fastballs and then blasted an 0-2 splitter off Bautista into the left field seats for his 14th homer and eighth since returning from the injured list two weeks ago.
After Bautista struck out Anthony Rizzo and LeMahieu, Michael King (1-1) pitched a scoreless 10th to strand automatic runner Adley Rutschman at second, which set up Volpe’s game-winner.
Bader homered in the fourth and capped New York’s three-run fifth off Baltimore’s Kyle Bradish with a sacrifice fly. Bader’s sacrifice fly occurred after Rizzo hit an RBI double and LeMahieu had a run-scoring single.
Adam Frazier hit a two-run double five batters into the game off Gerrit Cole before Cedric Mullins and Gunnar Henderson homered in the third and fourth, respectively, off the Yankees’ ace. The Orioles carried a 5-4 lead into the ninth when Ryan Mountcastle scored the tiebreaking run on a groundout by Terrin Vavra in the sixth.
Cole, who is winless in his past five outings, allowed five runs on six hits while matching a season low with five-plus innings. He struck out two and walked three; he has allowed six homers in his past four outings.
Cole also became the third-fastest pitcher to record 2,000 career strikeouts.
Bradish allowed four runs on seven hits in five innings.
–Field Level Media
