Rays 4, Yankees 3
Dan Johnson belted a pair of two-run homers to lift the Tampa Bay Rays to a 4-3 triumph over the New York Yankees in the battle for first place in the AL East at Tropicana Field on Wednesday night.
The victory moved the Rays ahead of the Yankees by one half game. Tampa Bay won two of the three games in the series.
Johnson's first homer gave Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead in the fifth inning.
Curtis Granderson answered with a two-run homer of his own in the seventh inning to give New York a 3-2 lead.
Rays manager Joe Maddon was ejected in the seventh inning for arguing with the umpires after Derek Jeter was awarded first base for being hit by a pitch. Replays showed the pitch hit the knob of Jeter's bat. Jeter then scored on the Granderson home run.
But Johnson hit his second home run in the bottom of the seventh off Yankees starter Phil Hughes (16-8) to complete the scoring.
Chad Qualls (2-4) got the win despite allowing Granderson's homer. Rafael Soriano pitched the ninth for his 43rd save.