Yankees 8, Rays 7
Jorge Posada hit a pinch-hit home run to lead off the 10th inning and lead the New York Yankees to an 8-7 win over the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field Tuesday night.
With the win the Yankees reclaimed a half-game lead in the American League East over the Rays. The victory also snapped a four-game losing streak.
David Robertson (3-4) got the win and Mariano Rivera posted his 30th save Dan Wheeler (2-3) surrendered Posada’s homer, a monstrous shot off the restaurant above the center field wall, to take the loss.
New York took a 6-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth inning when Robinson Cano belted a two-run homer after a four-run third inning in front of 28,713 Rays fans.
Alex Rodriguez hit a solo homer and Francisco Cervelli drove in another run with a bases-loaded walk.
The lead didn’t last long as Tampa Bay scored seven times in the bottom of the frame to take a 7-6 lead.
The Rays sent 10 men to the plate in the inning. Carlos Pena got things started with a solo home run. John Jaso, Evan Longoria and Matt Joyce had RBI singles and Willie Aybar capped the scoring with a pinch-hit three-run home run off Boone Logan who entered the game in relief of Ivan Nova, who had allowed just one hit heading into the fifth.
Nova ended up going 4 2/3 innings, allowing six runs, six hits, three walks and striking out two. Tampa Bay starter Matt Garza also struggled through 4 2/3 innings, yielding nine hits and two walks for six runs, while striking out four.
New York tied the score at 7-7 on an RBI double by Cano in the sixth.