Yankees game 80: Teixeira, McCann come up clutch in walk-off
Fireworks in the Bronx! Teixeira ties it with a three-run home run, McCann wins it with a walk-off three-run home run!
Tampa Bay Rays 5 – New York Yankees 7 (12 innings)
The Yankees needed two rallies to finish off the night with fireworks.
To start the game against Masahiro Tanaka, the Rays got a leadoff double from Grady Sizemore. After a walk to Joey Butler, Evan Longoria hit a double of his own, scoring Sizemore to put the Rays ahead early. James Loney hit a fly ball deep enough to put the Yankees in an early two-run deficit.
Opposing Tanaka was the ace of the Rays staff, Chris Archer. The talented Archer had great numbers against the Yankees entering tonight's game and he only improved on them.
Through the first three innings, Archer allowed two hits but only one reached scoring position, Didi Gregorius on a hustle double in the third.
Despite the rough start for Tanaka, he retired nine in a row after the first three batters reached. In the fourth inning, he gave up a single to James Loney but Loney got himself out when he was easily caught stealing.second base by Brian McCann. In the fifth inning, Kevin Kiermaier led off with a triple. He came to score easily on a sacrifice fly and the Yankees had to deal with an early three-run deficit.
In six innings, Masahiro Tanaka allowed three runs on six hits while walking one and striking out five.
The walks became a problem for Archer through the middle third of the game as he walked two in the sixth inning but the Yankees could not do anything with that. The Yankees got one on in the seventh inning before Archer was removed but Jake McGee struck out pinch-hitter Jose Pirela to keep the Yankees off the board.
In 6 2/3 innings, Chris Archer held the Yankees off the board on three hits with three walks and eight strikeouts.
The Yankees were kept off the scoreboard until the eighth inning. With one out, Chase Headley got on base with his second bloop single of the night. Alex Rodriguez followed with a single to the right side to bring up the tying run in the form of Mark Teixeira. On a 1-0 pitch against Kevin Jepsen, the switch-hitting first baseman delivered a no-doubt, three-run home run to tie the game with one majestic swing (and an even better bat toss).
The Yankees looked to rally on a pair of walks but a double play off the bat of Chris Young ended that.
In the ninth inning, Dellin Betances got two outs on strikeouts before the final out came on the bases when Asdrubal Cabrera hit a single and tried stretching it into a double before he was thrown out at second.
The Yankees could not score in the ninth inning so the game needed to be decided in extra innings.
Justin Wilson and Adam Warren provided a pair of scoreless innings, with the help of some very useful use of the instant replay. In the 11th inning, Adam Warren gave up a single to Evan Longoria, who slid into second for a would-be double.
However, Longoria briefly let his foot leave the base and with Pirela keeping the tag on, Longoria was ruled out.
In the 12th inning, the bullpen finally blinked. After a walk and a sacrifice bunt, Chasen Shreve came in for Warren. The normally effective Shreve showed ineffectiveness when he started his relief appearance with a walk. Kevin Kiermaier gave the Rays the lead again with a run-scoring single. Rene Rivera hit a single of his own and the Rays took a two-run lead in the 12th inning.
Brett Gardner could not extend his nine-game hitting streak but he did lead off the bottom half of the inning with a walk. After the first out of the inning, Alex Rodriguez hit a single to the right side, against the shift, to put the tying run at the plate. Mark Teixeira kept the good times going with his bat when he hit a single to score the Yankees fourth run of the game, bringing them within one.
Needing one to tie and two to win, Brian McCann decided to clean up and walk off with his 13th home run of the season.
The three-run home run was the first walk-off win of the year, with the last coming in late September from The Captain. Oh, what a win.
Win – Chasen Shreve (6-1)
Loss – Steve Geltz (1-4)
Notables
Rays
*Kevin Kiermaier – 2 for 5, R, 3B, RBI (16)
*Rene Rivera – 2 for 4, 2 RBI (19)
Yankees
*Brian McCann – 1 for 5, R, BB, Walk-off, three-run home run (13) in the 12th, 3 RBI (52)
*Mark Teixeira – 2 for 5, 2 R, BB, Three-run home run (20) in the 8th, 4 RBI (58)
Current Yankees Record: 43-37