TAMPA — After a 1-hour and 56-minute rain delay noticed numerous lightning bolts electrify the sky above George M. Steinbrenner Area on Tuesday, the Yankees introduced the thunder.
Those that remained on the Bombers’ spring coaching complicated — rented out by the Rays this common season — have been handled to a house run derby within the first, as Tampa Bay starter Shane Baz surrendered back-to-back-to-back jacks to Aaron Choose, Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton. The barrage set the tone for a 13-3 Yankees win that noticed the crew crush 9 whole homers, tying a franchise document.
It additionally made the Yankees one among simply three groups to hit three consecutive homers thrice in a single season, as they joined the 2024 Dodgers and 1982 Brewers, per Stathead’s Katie Sharp.
Yankees go back-to-back-to-back on HRs 😳
The Yankees began their slugfest in type towards the Rays, as Choose’s massive fly traveled 429 toes to the batter’s eye at Steinbrenner Area. The dinger marked his fortieth of the season.
Choose has now reached that whole 4 occasions over his 10-year profession, placing him in esteemed firm. Babe Ruth (11 seasons), Lou Gehrig (5) and Mickey Mantle (4) are the one different Yankees to hit at the least 40 homers in at the least 4 seasons.
With Choose beginning the social gathering, Bellinger and Stanton shortly proceeded with their very own residence runs. Altogether, the Yankees’ three MVPs noticed simply 9 pitches from Baz within the first.
Tuesday marked the third time the Yankees have hit three straight residence runs within the first inning of a sport this season. Paul Goldschmidt, Bellinger and Choose achieved the feat towards the Brewers on March 29, whereas Trent Grisham, Choose and Ben Rice did so towards the Orioles on April 29. Each of these innings really featured a fourth residence run.
Whereas a fourth first-inning homer didn’t occur on Tuesday, the Rays didn’t cease serving ‘em up after the opening frame. José Caballero was the next Yankee to launch, as he picked up a two-run homer in the second inning. Acquired from Tampa Bay prior to the trade deadline, Caballero’s first residence run as a Yankee got here minutes after a tribute video performed on Steinbrenner Area’s jumbotron.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. added one other bases-empty blast within the third inning earlier than Stanton belted his second residence run of the evening, a two-run bop, within the fourth. The scorching-hot veteran now has 14 residence runs in his final 33 video games.
Rice instantly adopted Stanton with the Yankees’ seventh spherical journey of the sport. Bellinger, in the meantime, turned the second Yankee to document a two-homer sport when he took Ian Seymour deep for 2 runs within the sixth.
Caballero, who had simply two homers this season previous to Tuesday’s sport, then tied the Yankees’ single-game residence run document when he lofted his second residence run of the evening, one other solo shot, off Mason Montgomery within the ninth. The Yankees had set that document throughout the aforementioned March 29 blowout over Milwaukee.
Unable to match their landlords’ energy surge, the Rays solely mustered two runs off Carlos Rodón. Each got here within the second inning, as Tampa Bay scored on a Nick Fortes single and a groundout off the bat of the speedy Chandler Simpson.
Rodón additionally tallied 5 hits, two walks, 5 strikeouts and 102 pitches over six innings after the rain delay interrupted his pregame warmups. His night was additionally impeded by a soggy mound previous to the fifth inning, as he slipped throughout a warmup pitch earlier than the GMS grounds crew tended to the bump.
The Rays scored one other run within the eighth inning on a Jake Mangum single.
With a delayed-but-easy win on Tuesday, the second-place Yankees are actually 68-57 on the season and 15-19 towards American League East rivals. Extra importantly, they now have a one-game lead over the Purple Sox and Mariners for the American League’s high Wild Card spot.
Boston visits the Bronx on Thursday to start a four-game sequence, however the Yankees will search for a two-game sweep over the Rays on Wednesday earlier than heading residence.
Initially Printed: August 19, 2025 at 11:51 PM EDT
