Corey Seager hit a three-run homer to cap a five-run sixth inning as the visiting Texas Rangers capitalized on Gerrit Cole’s departure and beat the New York Yankees 9-4 to salvage the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader.
New York won the opener 8-0 behind four RBIs from Austin Wells, but the latter game turned significantly for the Rangers after Cole was lifted following the first out of the sixth inning at 90 pitches in a 1-1 game.
Cole allowed one run on six hits in 5 1/3 innings before exiting. The reigning Cy Young Award winner struck out 10, walked two and threw first-pitch strikes to 18 of 23 hitters.
After rookie Wyatt Langford fouled out, Luke Weaver (4-3) replaced Cole. Nathaniel Lowe and Adolis Garcia hit consecutive singles before Texas won a crucial replay challenge.
Leody Taveras hit a sinking liner to Juan Soto, but the ball popped out of the right fielder’s glove. Lowe hesitated before getting to third and was initially called out, but replays showed his foot beat the throw.
Carson Kelly followed with a tiebreaking bases-loaded walk on four pitches, and Josh Smith added a sacrifice fly. On the next pitch, Seager blasted Weaver’s fastball into the right field seats to make it 6-1.
Seager’s blast gave him 25 homers for the third straight season and the fourth time overall in his 10-year career. It was Seager’s fourth long ball in six games.
Garcia collected three hits, including a tying RBI single in the fourth off Cole, and reached base four times.
Taveras padded the lead with a two-run double in the seventh, and Kelly added an RBI single in the inning. The Rangers finished with 16 hits to win for the fourth time in their last 14 games.
Gleyber Torres hit an RBI single in the second off Texas starter Cody Bradford (4-0), who allowed one run on five hits in five innings. Bradford struck out seven, walked none and retired Aaron Judge twice, striking out the slugger in the first and getting him on a double play with two on in the third.
Giancarlo Stanton added a two-run homer in the eighth, his first since June 19. Jazz Chisholm Jr. followed Stanton’s shot with his seventh homer since joining the Yankees.
–Field Level Media