Rizzo hits an 8-run homer in the fifth inning as the Yankees win their eighth straight game, 12-3

Friday June 17, 2022

Anthony Rizzo hit a grand slam off the facing of the third deck in right to cap the Yankees’ eight-run fifth inning, and New York extended its winning streak to eight games with a 12-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night.

New York has won 15 of its last 16 games and is off to its best start since 1998 (48-16).

In the AL East, the Yankees have opened an 11-game lead over Toronto.

Giancarlo Stanton, DJ LeMahieu, and Joey Gallo also homered for the Yankees, who lead the majors with 105 home runs and have given up 49, one more than San Francisco had allowed entering Friday. In the last six games, New York has hit 17 home runs.

Montgomery (3-1) improved to 3-0 in his last five starts after allowing two runs and three hits in six innings.

New York has won Mongomery’s last five starts, outhitting Toronto 14-5.

Stripling (3-2) had a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning, extending his shutout streak to 16 2/3 innings, when Gleyber Torres hit an RBI double and scored on Kyle Higashioka’s grounder.

When Rizzo was hit by a pitch leading off the fifth inning, New York set a season high for runs in an inning.

Stanton then hit his 14th home run of the season and 361st of his career, tying Joe DiMaggio. LeMahieu followed with a home run to make it 5-1.

Trent Thornton was chased after Gallo’s RBI double, and Rizzo hit a homer on a thigh-high curveball from Trevor Richards, having caused catcher Gabriel Moreno to droop his head.

Rizzo’s sixth career grand slam, a 435-foot drive, was his first for the Yankees and his 17th of the season. He has six home runs in 13 games, including a game-winning shot against Tampa Bay on Thursday.

Gallo, who had three RBI, added a two-run homer off Casey Lawrence in the ninth inning, his ninth home run of the season.

Rizzo reached base four times, while LeMahieu had three hits.

It was the Blue Jays’ second straight lopsided loss, following a 10-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday. It’s the first time this season that Toronto has given up double digit runs in consecutive games.

Alejandro Kirk hit his sixth home run of the season in the sixth inning as the Blue Jays fell to the Yankees for the seventh time in ten games this season.

Stripling gave up two runs and five hits in 3 2/3 innings.

UP NEXT

Yankees RHP Jameson Taillon (7-1, 2.93) starts Saturday afternoon against Blue Jays RHP Alek Manoah (8-1, 1.67). Manoah is 2-0 with a 1.52 ERA in four career starts against the Yankees.

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