The Yankees had a necessity for velocity.
That’s why they acquired the pesky José Caballero earlier than final month’s commerce deadline, figuring out him as a flexible weapon who may wreak havoc on the basepaths.
That transfer paid off in a significant method in Sunday’s 8-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.
Caballero manufactured the go-ahead run throughout a four-run, ninth-inning rally because the Yankees capped a three-game sweep at Busch Stadium.
With the rating tied, 4-4, Caballero led off the ninth with a excessive one-chopper to second baseman Thomas Saggese. Effectively conscious of Caballero’s velocity, Saggese rushed his throw and hurled it extensive of first base, permitting Caballero to go to second base.
Caballero then superior to 3rd on a handed ball, and three batters later, he was the primary of two baserunners to attain when a Cody Bellinger grounder snuck by a pulled-in infield.
Saggese was charged together with his second error of the inning on Bellinger’s two-run grounder, which gave the Yankees a 6-4 lead.
Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s run-scoring groundout and Paul Goldschmidt‘s RBI double completed the scoring for the Yankees, whose 4 runs within the ninth had been all unearned.
All of that adopted a roller-coaster afternoon through which the Yankees struck first, dedicated their very own pair of expensive errors, and in the end bettered their positioning within the American League East and wild card races.
The afternoon received off to a heartfelt begin when the St. Louis crowd showered Goldschmidt with a standing ovation earlier than his first at-bat.
Goldschmidt spent the earlier six seasons with the Cardinals, with whom he received Nationwide League MVP in 2022, however a low-grade proper knee sprain prevented him from beginning Friday or Saturday’s video games.
House plate umpire Nic Lentz gave Goldschmidt, 37, a second to tip his helmet to the cheering crowd earlier than he settled again in for that second-inning at-bat.
Goldschmidt completed 3-for-5 and likewise factored prominently within the Yankees’ three-run rally within the fourth inning in opposition to Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas.
After Chisholm drew a stroll, Goldschmidt drilled a one-out double into the hole in left-center to place two runners in scoring place.
That was the primary of 4 consecutive hits by the Yankees, who led, 3-0, after back-to-back-to-back RBI singles from Jasson Domínguez, Ryan McMahon and Caballero.
However the lead wouldn’t final lengthy.
The third baseman McMahon dedicated a fielding error to start the underside of the fourth, permitting Iván Herrera to succeed in. 4 batters later, Saggese lined a two-out, two-run double off of Yankees starter Will Warren to chop the Cardinals’ deficit to 3-2.
The underside of the fifth began in related style, with the second baseman Chisholm making a diving cease on a Lars Nootbaar grounder, solely to throw the ball away. Nootbaar was credited with an infield single and moved to second on Chisholm’s throwing error.
Alec Burleson adopted with a one-out RBI single to tie the rating, 3-3.
The afternoon was a grind for the rookie Warren, who gave up three runs (one earned) over 4.2 innings and 95 pitches. He surrendered six hits and a stroll.
It was the primary time in 5 begins that Warren allowed greater than two runs or failed to complete 5 innings.
St. Louis took a 4-3 lead within the sixth when Yohel Pozo smoked a solo residence run off of reliever Camilo Doval, however the Yankees answered with a Cody Bellinger sacrifice fly within the seventh to re-tie the rating.
On a steamy afternoon through which temperatures exceeded 90 levels, tensions rose a number of occasions.
Trent Grisham was rung up on a questionable third strike with two runners on base within the fourth, a lot to the ire of the Yankees’ dugout. Yankees catching coach Tanner Swanson was in the end ejected.
Within the seventh, Cardinals supervisor Oliver Marmol was ejected for one thing he stated after Grisham earned a leadoff stroll that featured a pair of borderline balls.
Ultimately, the Yankees escaped with their first sequence sweep since July 7-9, once they received all three video games in opposition to the Seattle Mariners within the Bronx.
The Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Purple Sox and Cleveland Guardians all misplaced Sunday. That allowed the Yankees to maneuver inside 5.5 video games of the Jays within the AL East and inside a half-game of Boston within the division and wild card races.
The Yankees at the moment are 3.5 video games forward of Cleveland for the AL’s third and remaining wild card spot.
The Yankees are off on Monday earlier than they start a two-game sequence in opposition to the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Subject. It’s the Yankees’ second journey of the season to Steinbrenner Subject – their spring coaching ballpark – which the Rays are renting this yr after Hurricane Milton badly broken Tropicana Subject.
Carlos Rodón (12-7, 3.25 ERA) is ready to begin Tuesday evening for the Yankees, whereas Shane Baz (8-9, 4.93 ERA) is scheduled to pitch for Tampa.
Initially Revealed: August 17, 2025 at 4:58 PM EDT
