On Monday, the Yankees continued their immaculate form as they achieved their 50th victory this season over the Rays by 4-2. However, the win did not come without drama, as the Boomers lost the no-no and the lead in the eighth innings. Luckily, Aaron Hicks pulled off stunning innings in the ninth, leading the Yankees to a victory at Tropicana Field. It is quite familiar to see a franchise reach 50 wins at this stage of the reason. But, the stat depicts the dominating performances the Yankees have put up this season, with only 17 losses so far.
However, Monday\’s game turned out to be a nail-biter for the Yankees as they found themselves in a losing position. The credit for all the drama goes to Garret Cole, who took a no-hitter deep for the second time this season. Shane McClanahan conceded the two runs that the Pinstripers could steal from the Rays bullpen. Moreover, Cole conceded a leadoff single in the eighth against Issac Paredes, and reliever Clay Holmes gave away his first run of the season since Opening day, allowing the rays to equalize by 2-2.
Soon after, Aaron Hicks walked in the ninth innings and provided the Yankees with a much-needed lead. The Rays sent the winning run twice to the plate after Wandy Peralta took over from Holmes. The southpaw managed to get a strikeout, and a fly ball to Hicks helped the Yankees secure a 4-2 victory against the Tampa Rays.
Who Were The Stars Of The Match Against The Rays?
Cole\’s no-hit attempt was a good one for the Yankees as the pitcher looked electric while masterfully locating his fastball. The 31-year-old was in complete control for the most part of the game. However, Gerrit struggled during the fifth innings. Moreover, walks to Brett Phillips and Josh Lowe put the Tays in a scoring position with two outs. Then, Cole struck out Rene Pinto with a K to conclude the frame. Apart from a little struggle, Cole struck out 12 in seven innings of no-hit ball. In only 56 appearances, Gerrit has the fifth highest (16) double-digit strikeout games in franchise history.
Anthony Rizzo started the proceedings for the Bombers as he crushed a 2-2 pitch 410 feet to the right fielder to get his 19th long ball of the season against McClanahan. The Rays pitcher recovered and retired the next 11 players in a row. Eventually, Hicks came on the field after a lot of drama in the eighth to secure the 50th win for the New York Yankees.