Cody Bellinger broke the game open with one swing, and Carlos Rodon handled the rest.
The New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 2-0 on Tuesday in the opener of a day-night doubleheader, spoiling Tampa Bay’s shot at clinching the AL East for the moment. The win lifted New York to 90-66 and kept the Rays at 95-61, while the Yankees moved six games ahead of the Boston Red Sox for the American League’s top wild-card spot.
Tampa Bay still needs two more to lock up the fifth divisional title in franchise history and its first since 2021.
Bellinger’s two-run homer came in the fourth inning after Ben Rice doubled to right field to start the frame. Martinez had retired the first nine Yankees he faced, but Bellinger changed the tone with a blast to the right-field seats on the next pitch. It was his 17th home run of the season and his sixth in his last 26 games.
Rodon was just as sharp. The left-hander worked eight innings, allowed only three singles, and finished with eight strikeouts as the Yankees wrapped it up in 2 hours, 2 minutes. He earned his 100th career win and delivered his longest outing since going eight innings against the Chicago Cubs on July 11, 2025.
The Rays managed singles from Chandler Simpson in the second, Victor Mesa Jr. in the sixth and Jonathan Aranda in the seventh, but they never mounted a serious threat. Rodon also hit 1,500 strikeouts when he got Jonny DeLuca to chase a slider in the eighth.
Martinez took the loss for Tampa Bay, his first since July 9. He gave up two runs on five hits over six innings and struck out seven.
Bellinger added another important play in the field in the sixth. After Mesa opened the inning with a single, Richie Palacios lifted a fly ball to left, Bellinger made the catch, then fired a one-hop throw to first baseman Luis Garcia Jr. to complete the double play. It was his eighth outfield assist of the season.
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