Bronx Bombers Back: Yankees Belt Five Homers to Split Series Against Rays
The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays completed a four-game series at Yankee Stadium this afternoon, marking the first series to start the second half of the season after the 2024 MLB All-Star Game last Tuesday. With hopes of winning the series against the Yankees, the Rays went into today's game against them wanting to build on a good start to the second half. Meanwhile, after winning the first game of the series on Friday night, the Yankees were hoping to avoid losing their third straight game against the Rays. The Yankees, who sit second in the league behind the Orioles with 141 home runs before Monday's game, were uncharacteristically low on home runs entering the series finale, having only managed one in the first three games of the series. However, the Yankees didn't take long to return to their relentless home run hitting, launching five of them to secure the 9-1 victory against the Rays and split the four-game series.
The Yankees were quick to grab an early 1-0 lead in the second inning of the game with Austin Wells hitting a line drive home run to right field against Rays starting pitcher Zack Littell. The Yankees would go up 2-0 after Anthony Volpe smashed a home run to left field, giving them back-to-back home runs in the inning. The Yankees would generate their next scoring opportunity in the fourth inning when Wells and Aaron Judge reached base on singles. Oswaldo Cabrera then took advantage of the situation by hitting a two-run single to right field, increasing the Yankees' lead to 4-0. The Rays would ultimately break through in the top of the fifth inning when Jose Siri launched his 14th home run of the year into right-center field off of Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodon, cutting the Yankees' advantage to 4-1. The Yankees' lead was increased to 5-1 in the bottom half of the fifth inning by longtime veteran DJ LeMahieu, who would eventually record his first home run of the year with a lead-off homer.
After three home runs in the game so far, the Yankees would not stop hitting home runs. Leading off the seventh inning, star outfielder Juan Soto launched a solo home run to give the Yankees a 6-1 lead to right field that traveled 424 feet, good for his 24th home run of the season and second on the team. The Yankees would blow the game open with a three-run home run by Soto, his second home run of the game, to extend their lead to 9-1 in the bottom half of the eighth inning after back-to-back singles off of Rays relief pitcher Kevin Kelly. To secure the series finale victory, Yankees pitcher Jake Cousins recorded the final three outs in the ninth inning by forcing Brandon Lowe into a double play. After going through a difficult stretch over his past six starts, giving up three earned runs or more in five of those starts, Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodon had an outstanding performance in the victory. In seven strong innings against the Rays, Rodon wrapped up his afternoon by giving up just two hits, one earned run, and two walks, and recording a season-high 10 strikeouts.
