NEW YORK — The sound at Yankee Stadium suggested a lineup finding its October swing in a hurry. Four home runs cut through a cool Bronx night, Ryan McMahon drove in five runs and Ben Rice moved into a tie for the American League home run lead. For a Yankees club locked into the No. 4 seed, Wednesday’s 9-2 win over Tampa Bay delivered the kind of late-September energy Aaron Boone would gladly carry into next week.
The Yankees struck before the Rays could settle in. Rice drove the first pitch of the bottom of the first into the right-field second deck for his 40th homer. Spencer Jones doubled and scored on McMahon’s two-out single in the second. George Lombard Jr. then opened the third with his sixth homer before McMahon launched a grand slam that made it 7-0. Rice added No. 41 in the fourth.
Gerrit Cole handled the other half of the night. The Yankees right-hander allowed two runs on three hits over 5 2/3 innings, struck out eight and walked three. He earned his 10th victory and finished with a 3.61 ERA and 131 strikeouts in 127 innings since returning from Tommy John surgery in May. Ali Sánchez also cut down Richie Palacios trying to steal in the second, helping Cole face the minimum.
The timing made the barrage look especially meaningful. One day earlier, the Yankees scored only three runs across a doubleheader against Tampa Bay. Nick Martinez allowed two runs over six innings in the opener. Drew Rasmussen then carried a no-hit bid into the seventh, holding the Yankees to one run and one hit over 6 2/3 innings with 11 strikeouts as the Rays clinched the AL East. Wednesday looked like a dramatic reversal. The context, however, changed almost as sharply as the score.
Rays changed assignment after clinching AL East
Tampa Bay’s priority shifted after Tuesday night’s clincher. With the AL East title and the American League’s No. 1 seed secured, the Rays moved into postseason-management mode. Mason Englert was recalled to make Wednesday’s spot start so Tampa Bay could give its regular starters additional rest before the Division Series. The Rays also kept Yandy Díaz out of the lineup and used Junior Caminero for only five innings.
That is the reality check attached to the Yankees’ four-homer show. Englert, not one of Tampa Bay’s primary October starters, absorbed the early assault. He allowed eight runs, nine hits and four home runs in 3 2/3 innings, fell to 0-4 and left after 86 pitches. Tampa Bay had altered its rotation specifically to protect the pitching staff for October.
Englert understood the assignment was about preserving innings for pitchers the Rays expect to rely on after their first-round bye.
“The main job is covering innings for the guys,” Englert said.
Split that changes meaning of four Yankees homers
The box score becomes more revealing when Englert’s line is separated from what followed. He recorded 11 of Tampa Bay’s 24 defensive outs, about 46%. Yet the Yankees scored eight of their nine runs against him, collected nine of their 12 hits and hit all four home runs before he left.
Against Caleb Legumina, Brody Hopkins, Steven Matz and Cole Sulser over the final 4 1/3 innings, the Yankees managed three hits, one run and no homers. The early damage was real, but Wednesday was not a clean preview of how the lineup will fare against Tampa Bay’s postseason pitching plan.
The contrast with Tuesday is sharper. Martinez and Rasmussen combined to allow three runs and six hits over 12 2/3 innings against the Yankees. Englert alone surrendered eight runs and nine hits in less than four innings the next night.
Rice and McMahon still gave Yankees real positives
The pitching plan does not make Ben Rice’s milestone disappear. He finished 3-for-4 with a walk, two homers and two RBIs. His 41 home runs tied Baltimore’s Pete Alonso, Tampa Bay’s Caminero and Houston’s Yordan Alvarez for the AL lead entering Thursday. MLB’s official game notes also placed Rice alongside Aaron Judge as the only Yankees draft picks with a 40-homer season.
McMahon went 2-for-4, matched his career high with five RBIs and hit his 11th homer. The grand slam was his third career slam. For a Yankees lineup preparing for a Wild Card Series with postseason roles being finalized, production from the bottom third still carries value, even with the opposing starter’s quality in mind.
Cole’s work carried more October value than final margin
Cole’s outing offered a cleaner October read. He threw 105 pitches, 63 strikes, and gave the Yankees 5 2/3 innings in his final regular-season start. Cedric Mullins homered in the fifth, but Cole limited the Rays to three hits and followed six innings of two-run ball against Arizona with another strong start.
Boone also used the margin to get bullpen work. Brent Headrick, John Schreiber, Tim Hill, Paul Blackburn and David Bednar covered the final 3 1/3 innings without allowing a run. Bednar worked a perfect ninth, but there was no save because the Yankees led by seven.
The Yankees improved to 91-67 and are set to host a best-of-three AL Wild Card Series beginning Tuesday, with Boston the likely opponent as of Thursday morning. Tampa Bay is 96-62 and opens its Division Series on Oct. 3 after the bye. If the Yankees advance, the Rays could be waiting. Wednesday proved New York can punish a vulnerable arm. It did not show how the same lineup will handle the rested staff Tampa Bay is arranging for October.
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