Two outs, one swing
Down to their last few outs of a tie game, the Yankees needed one mistake from Tampa Bay. They got it. George Lombard Jr. turned on a 2-2 sinker from Rays rookie Brody Hopkins with two outs in the eighth inning Thursday night and drove it into the second deck in left field, a two-run homer that broke a 4-4 deadlock and sent New York to a 6-4 win at Yankee Stadium.
The Yankees had managed one hit through the first five innings against Rays starter Ian Seymour, who struck out three and walked nobody across five innings on just 58 pitches. Cam Schlittler had it worse on the other side, charged with two runs on three hits in three innings before departing. New York clawed back through Austin Wells’ solo homer and a tying RBI single from Paul Goldschmidt in the seventh, the frame in which Lombard also doubled in a run and later scored on a wild pitch.
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A rookie who keeps delivering
Lombard has been the story of New York’s stretch run since his call-up last month. Thursday’s homer was his seventh in 41 games as a Yankee, and his fourth in his last seven. The Yankees improved to 92-67 with the win, their 11th in their last 16 games, and moved to 11-8 this season when tied through seven innings, a number that says something about a lineup that keeps finding a way late.
Bradley Hanner picked up his first career win out of the bullpen, holding the line after Schlittler’s early exit. Right fielder Heliot Ramos had a rougher night defensively, with a throwing error that let Yandy Diaz come around to score for Tampa Bay.
Rays still hold the top seed
The loss did not cost Tampa Bay its position. At 96-63, the Rays remain the American League’s top seed. Junior Caminero drove in a run and doubled home another, leaving him one RBI shy of becoming just the fifth player in franchise history to post multiple 100-RBI seasons. New York is now 11-8 against Tampa Bay this season, a series edge that could matter if the two sides cross paths again in October.
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