Yankees’ DJ LeMahieu slides past Reds pitcher Alexis Diaz to score on a wild pitch – Series tied 1-1
DJ LeMahieu celebrated his 34th birthday by sliding across the plate on Alexis Daz’s second consecutive wild pitch in the 10th inning, and the New York Yankees rallied from a four-run deficit to defeat the Cincinnati Reds 7-6 Wednesday night, snapping a three-game losing streak.
Luis Severino gave up three home runs in four pitches in the second inning as Cincinnati built a 4-0 lead before leaving with right shoulder tightness.
Cincinnati gave up five unearned runs, four of which came on an error by Jonathan India on Anthony Rizzo’s potential inning-ending double-play grounder in the third. The Reds trailed 5-4 before pulling ahead 6-5 in the eighth on a Giancarlo Stanton homer to the short porch in right field off Ian Gibaut.
On second base, LeMahieu began the 10th inning. Aaron Judge struck out (2-1) against Daz, Anthony Rizzo was intentionally walked, and Stanton was down 0-2 in the count.
Daz threw a slider that was caught by catcher Tyler Stephenson. As LeMahieu scampered home ahead of the catcher’s throw to Daz covering the plate, Daz paused to grab the resin bag, then threw a slide that bounced off Stephenson and bounced toward the first-base dugout.
New York earned its 11th walk-off victory and 27th come-from-behind victory of the season, avoiding its first four-game losing streak of the season.
In the 10th inning, Michael King (6-1) escaped first-and-third with no outs when Matt Reynolds struck out and Kyle Farmer grounded into a 5-4-3 double play.
Farmer connected on Severino’s slider for a 431-foot drive to left, Mike Moustakas on a changeup, and Stuart Fairchild on a 92-mph fastball.
Severino finished the inning after Yankees manager Aaron Boone and an athletic trainer arrived on the mound. He went to the mound to start the third and threw a warmup pitch before walking off and being replaced by rookie JP Sears.
Severino averaged 94.1 mph with 18 fastballs, down from 96.1 mph last season.
This was Severino’s third three-homer game of the season, and his first since Aug. 28, 2017 against Cleveland.
Cincinnati hit three straight home runs for the first time since May 5, 2019, when Eugenio Suárez, Jesse Winker, and Derek Dietrich did it against San Francisco’s Jeff Samardzija.
For the second time this season, New York allowed three consecutive home runs. Cole accomplished this feat on June 9 in Minnesota, when he was taken deep by Luis Arraez, Byron Buxton, and Carlos Correa.
Joey Votto drove in two runs, and Stephenson hit a sacrifice fly off Sears in the fifth.
Following India’s error, Gleyber Torres hit an RBI single, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa capped a five-run third inning with a three-run double.
In four innings, Cincinnati starter Mike Minor allowed five runs, one of which was earned.
COMING UP
Cincinnati’s RHP Luis Castillo (3-4, 2.92 ERA) makes his second career start in Yankee Stadium. On July 26, 2007, Castillo got Todd Frazier to hit into a triple play in the first inning of his previous start in New York. The Yankees will be led by All-Star LHP Nestor Cortes (7-3, 2.74).
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