NEW YORK (AP) — Anthony Rizzo homered twice on his bobblehead giveaway night, the second a go-ahead, two-run drive in the eighth inning that lifted the Yankees 6-5 over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday.
Rizzo, whose bobblehead likeness was adorned in Mandalorian attire on Star Wars Night, hit a solo homer in the first against Trevor Kelly.
After Josh Lowe‘s three run homer off Michael King in the eighth put the Major League-leading Rays ahead 5–4, Aaron Judge ran into Jason Adam (0-1) in the second half and Rizzo homered to right. Rizzo took off his helmet during a curtain call after his 22nd multi-homer appearance.
Wandy Peralta earned his first save this season by striking out two in an one-hit ninth. With two out and one up, Ray’s manager Kevin Cash right-handed hitting Manuel Margot to squeeze for the southpaw Lowe, who had eight RBIs in the first two games of the series. Margot passed out.
Randy Arozena homered in the first and Jose Siri in the second, both out Gerrit Cole.
Yankees rookie Anthony Volpe, in a 7-for-53 slide, was dropped to seventh in the order after 23 consecutive starts. He tied the score at 2-2 with a home run in the fifth inning and put the Yankees ahead with an RBI single in the seventh inning. Oswaldo Cabrera‘s runscoring single extended the lead to 4-2.
Clay Holmes (1-2) stranded a pair of runners in the eighth with a strikeout Walk Franco and the withdrawal of Arozarena on a comebacker. A day after leaving in the fifth inning with a neck spasm, Franco went 0-for-5.
The last place New York won for the third time in five games against the Rays this season finished within eight games of the AL East leading.
Arozarena, Siri, and Lowe pointed to their biceps and grinned at the Rays dugout following their homers.
STAR WARS
About half an hour before the first pitch, a parade of characters from the movies walked across the field to the tune of Meco’s “Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band.” Rizzo was dressed in a W-wing pilot outfit and Rays players were depicted as Stormtroopers.
TRAINERS ROOM
Rays: RHP Drew Rasmussen (right flexor load) was placed on the 60-day IL, one day after the Yankees were out seven innings in an 8-2 victory. Rasmussen said he felt nervous discomfort in his right arm as he faced his last batter, Gleyber Torres. His last four pitches were all off-speed offers after throwing fastballs most of the evening in the mid-90s. Rasmussen, who has undergone Tommy John surgery twice, said he hoped this injury would not necessitate the surgery. … R.H.P Chris Muller was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte. RHP Zack Littlell was claimed from Boston and LHP waivers Garrett Cleavinger (right knee) transferred to the 60-day IL. RHP Pursue Anderson was claimed by Colorado.
NEXT ONE
Rays RHP Shane McClanahan (7-0, 1.76 ERA) will try to join Matt Moore (2013) and Charlie Morton (2019) as the only Tampa Bay pitchers to open a season 8-0. Yankees RHP Nestor Cortes (3-2, 4.74 ERA) is 2-3 with a 3.74 ERA in 11 games against the Rays.
