Rays 5, Yankees 3
Matt Joyce belted a go-ahead, three-run homer in the seventh inning as the Tampa Bay Rays remained tied atop the American League wild card standings with a 5-3 victory over the visiting New York Yankees on Tuesday.
The Rays and Red Sox share the lead entering the final day of the regular season. Boston hung on to defeat the Baltimore Orioles 8-7 on Tuesday.
Nick Swisher’s RBI double gave the Yankees a 3-2 lead in the sixth, but the Rays averted further damage when Russell Martin grounded into a 5-4-3 triple play off starter Jeremy Hellickson. It was the third triple play in Rays’ history and the first since 2006.
Jake McGee (4-2) pitched a scoreless seventh inning to get the victory. Kyle Farnsworth pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 25th save.
Ben Zobrist (two hits) lined a two-run homer in the second to give the Rays a 2-0 lead. Johnny Damon singled and scored on Zobrist’s homer, passing Lou Gehrig for 57th on the all-time hits list with 2,722.
Rafael Soriano (2-3), who had not allowed a run in his last eight outings, allowed Joyce's blast.
Rays first baseman Casey Kotchman was scratched from the lineup because of tightness in his chest. He was taken to the hospital and released after tests were negative.