Ryan McMahon wasted no time making his mark, and by the end of the night he had turned Wednesday into a personal showcase.
McMahon launched a third-inning grand slam and finished with a career-tying five RBIs, helping the host New York Yankees cruise past the Tampa Bay Rays 9-2. Ben Rice added plenty of thunder of his own, drilling two solo homers as New York kept rolling at home.
The damage started early against Tampa Bay spot starter Mason Englert (0-4). McMahon opened his night with a two-strike single in the second inning that brought home a run and pushed the Yankees to a 2-0 lead. Rookie Spencer Jones doubled in that frame and scored on McMahon’s RBI hit, with Heliot Ramos later adding a sacrifice fly.
Then came the big swing in the third. George Lombard Jr. led off the inning by homering to right-center, and McMahon followed by lifting a full-count pitch down the right-field line for a grand slam and a 7-0 advantage. It was McMahon’s third career grand slam, and the blast came after Anthony Volpe had taken ground balls at third before the game.
Rice set the tone immediately, taking Englert’s first pitch of the night over the wall to become the 13th Yankee with 40 homers in a season. That was Rice’s fourth career leadoff homer, and he wasn’t done.
In the fourth, he sent another ball into the right-field seats for his fifth career multi-homer game and his 40th homer season, making him the seventh player to reach that mark this year. He also added a single and reached base four times.
New York finished with its 10th win in 15 games and improved to 91-67.
Gerrit Cole (10-9) handled the pitching side of the tuneup for the postseason, giving up two runs on three hits over 5 2/3 innings. He struck out eight, walked three and reached double-digit wins for the 10th time in his career.
For Tampa Bay (96-62), Jonny DeLuca drove in a run with a double and Cedric Mullins homered. The Rays had already clinched their fifth AL East title on Tuesday, and they rested AL hits leader Yandy Diaz while playing Junior Caminero for five innings. The loss left Tampa Bay three games behind Milwaukee for the best record in baseball.
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Tropicana Field has been a problem spot for the Yankees for years, and Tampa Bays strong home record only adds to the challenge if the matchup comes together. For a Yankees club still chasing a deep postseason run, the bracket now points toward a division rival that is comfortable in its own park and has already put itself in position to dictate the terms. [Read more 🡒]
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The Yankees have moved a lot of top prospects in recent trades, while others in the system have already been promoted to the big club or are dealing with injuries. Even so, the absence from this round of national recognition does not mean the pipeline is empty, especially for a team that has continued to lean on homegrown talent at the major league level. The bigger question now is how quickly that next wave can turn promise into impact. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Face One October Call That Could Define Their Boston Series
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Aaron Boone has signaled Cole remains the expected starter, which only sharpens the contrast between recent performance and past history against the Red Sox. For the Yankees, the decision is bigger than a single lineup card. It is about whether they lean on the ace they trust most or reward the arm that has looked sharper in this matchup, and that choice could define the tone of the series. [Read more 🡒]