Final Score: NYY – 9 – 1 – TB
After losing back to back games to the Rays, one by a score of 9-1 and another by a score of 6-4, the Yankees looked to get back on track and possibly salvage a series split with Tampa. Carlos Rodon would put together his best outing in a long time, while on the offensive end, Juan Soto led the way with two home runs helping the Yankees come out with a 9-1 win Monday afternoon.
The morale of Yankee fans couldn’t have been any lower heading into this final game against the Rays. A struggling Carlos Rodon would get the start, and to go along with it DJ LeMahieu would be thrown back into the lineup, after many speculated a day off in the game prior could possibly be the end of DJ being in the lineup completely. This lineup on paper, was not one that many fans would guess would tally nine runs and only give up one.
Despite his recent struggles, Rodon looked great in his outing this afternoon. The left hander went a strong 7.0 innings pitched, while only giving up two hits, and one earned run being a home run from Jose Siri. Besides the Siri home run, which was simply a misplaced fastball, Rodon located very well, and worked through the Rays order with confidence. Rodon gave the Yankees everything they needed on the pitching side of things, the bats now had to back him up.
Austin Wells was thrown into the cleanup spot this series and today, was everything the Yankees could’ve asked for in the four-spot. He’d start the rally in the second inning, with a laser home run to the short porch to give the Bronx Bombers an early 1-0 lead. Anthony Volpe would then step up to the plate right after and launch his first home run since May 16th against the Twins to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead on back to back home runs.
In the fourth, a pair of singles from Aaron Judge and Austin Wells eventually gave Oswaldo Cabrera two runners in scoring position, where he delivered a two-run single to give the Yankees a 4-0 lead, and Rodon a huge cushion.
In the bottom half of the fifth a very unlikely occurrence happened, and DJ LeMahieu would launch a ball over the left field wall for his first home run of the season. On a weekend where it was even a question if he’d be playing after this series, it was certainly a nice sight for fans to see LeMahieu get one to leave the park.
Late in the game was when Juan Soto took over. In the seventh and eighth innings, Soto would hit two home runs, one a bomb down the right field line into the suite level, and another lined shot into the short porch. Soto recorded four RBI’s late in this game to put it out of reach, and the Rays would never plate another run. After a rough couple of games, it was definitely a nice sight for Yankee fans to see a team win to close out the series.