Field Level Media
Aug 11, 2018
Rookie Miguel Andujar hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning, Aroldis Chapman escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the ninth and the New York Yankees held on for a 5-3 victory over the Texas Rangers on Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.
Andujar broke a 3-3 deadlock when he lined a first-pitch 94 mph fastball from Chris Martin (1-3) into the right-center-field seats. It was Andujar's 17th homer -- fifth since the All-Star break -- and 50th extra-base hit, the most among all first-year players.
The third baseman's latest homer scored Giancarlo Stanton, who hit a one-out single off Martin.
It was Andujar's eighth homer to either tie a game or give the Yankees the lead.
Chapman notched his 30th save but had some uneasy moments while pitching in a downpour. He loaded the bases by hitting Adrian Beltre on the knee with a 100 mph fastball.
Chapman fell behind 3-1 on Jurickson Profar but ended the game by striking him out on a 98 mph fastball.
The Yankees held on after surviving a shaky outing by Zach Britton in the seventh. Britton allowed two-out singles to Shin-Soo Choo and Rougned Odor and then issued walks to Elvis Andrus and Beltre.
After Beltre's walk brought in a run to make it a 3-2 game, Dellin Betances replaced Britton. Distracted by Odor leading off third base, Betances was called for a balk when he moved his feet after getting set.
Odor scored the tying run but Betances (3-3) recovered to strike out Profar. He also pitched a perfect eighth as the rain began to intensify.
Before the eventful seventh, the Yankees took a 3-1 lead on Stanton's fourth homer in five games in the first inning, combined with an RBI double by Greg Bird in the first and a run-scoring single by Neil Walker in the sixth.
Stanton hit his 29th homer by slugging a 3-0 fastball from Drew Hutchison into the left field seats.
Lance Lynn produced a second straight effective outing, though he was not as dominant as Monday, when he pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings in Chicago and retired 19 White Sox in a row at one point.
This time, he allowed one run on five hits with eight strikeouts. He put runners on in each inning but escaped trouble and became the first player in team history to start his tenure with the Yankees with three straight games by striking out at least five and allowing one run or less.
Lynn struck out the side in the first after Choo opened the game with a single. He also struck out Profar to end the third after allowing an RBI single to Andrus, and he whiffed Beltre on a high fastball to end the fifth with Odor in scoring position.
Lynn also prevented first baseman Ronald Guzman from hurting the Yankees again. Guzman homered three times Friday, but Lynn pitched around him and walked him twice.
Hutchison made his second start since joining Texas, and it went better than his debut on Sunday. This time, he allowed three runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings.
--Field Level Media