Yankees stun Rangers with late homers
NEW YORK -- Brian McCann homered in the eighth and ninth innings, and Didi Gregorius hit a walk-off, two-run shot with one out in the ninth as the New York Yankees rallied from a five-run deficit and recorded a 9-7 victory over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night.
Texas led 7-3 entering the ninth, but New York cut the deficit with no outs thanks to two singles, a walk and a run-scoring error by center fielder Ian Desmond.
After Alex Rodriguez lined out, McCann drove a 1-0 pitch from Sam Dyson (1-2) into the right field seats for a three-run, game-tying homer. Starlin Castro followed with a walk, and Gregorius ended it by lining the first pitch from Dyson into the right-center field stands.
Gregorius' first career walk-off home run touched off a wild celebration at the plate.
McCann began New York's comeback from a 7-2 deficit with a solo home run off Cesar Ramos in the eighth.
Rangers rookie Nomar Mazara had a bases-clearing double during a four-run third off Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka. Elvis Andrus and Prince Fielder had RBI singles, and Rougned Odor and Adrian Beltre hit solo home runs for Texas.
Luis Cessa (1-0) allowed one run in three innings for the win.
Chase Headley drove the first two runs for the Yankees (38-39), who avoided their fourth consecutive loss.
Rangers starter Nick Martinez allowed two runs and three hits in five-plus innings. He tied a career high by issuing five walks and was lifted after McCann opened the sixth with a free pass.
Tanaka continued having problems pitching on the regular four days' rest. He allowed six runs and eight hits in six innings during his seventh start on normal rest.
The teams traded runs in the second as Andrus gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead and Headley evened the game with his fifth home run.
Texas struck for four runs and sent eight men to the plate in the third.
After a walk on a close pitch to Desmond loaded the bases, Mazara hit a booming double to deep center field. Following a mound visit from New York pitching coach Larry Rothschild, Texas took a 5-1 lead on Fielder's infield hit on a ball that deflected off the glove of first baseman Refsnyder.
NOTES: Rangers RHP Yu Darvish (right shoulder discomfort) threw a three-inning simulated game Wednesday that consisted of 46 pitches to INF Jurickson Profar and OF Ryan Rua. Texas has not decided what the next step is as of yet, but it is likely Darvish will need another outing somewhere before returning. ... New York OF Carlos Beltran (tight right hamstring) did not play Wednesday. Although the soreness has gone down from Tuesday, Beltran is unlikely to play Thursday. ... Yankees 1B Mark Teixeira sat out as the team tries to manage him playing with torn cartilage in his right knee. "If we overdo it, then I'm going to be on the operating table, unfortunately," Teixeira said. ... Texas manager Jeff Banister said LHP Cole Hamels would not have pitched the eighth inning Tuesday even if the team did not add five runs to a 2-0 lead. ... The Yankees announced the signing of their first-round pick, OF Blake Rutherford.