NEW YORK – Ryan McMahon’s clutch single to deep center field in the 11th inning capped the wildest game of the season Wednesday night, lifting the New York Yankees to a thrilling 5-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium.
The dramatic walk-off hit sent automatic runner Jazz Chisholm Jr. home with the winning run after reliever Kevin Kelly’s costly balk set up the game-ending rally in front of 47,129 fans.
“It just feels good to come through for the team,” McMahon said. “Every win matters right now in this chase.”
Yankees rally in waves
The Yankees were held to just two hits over the first seven innings by Rays starter Zack Littell. But the floodgates opened in the eighth.
Trent Grisham led off with a game-tying homer, his 18th of the season. Giancarlo Stanton followed with an RBI single to give New York its first lead, 2-1.
That edge didn’t last.
In the ninth, closer Devin Williams — who had converted 13 straight save chances since April — gave up a two-run homer to Josh Lowe, putting Tampa Bay ahead 3-2.
Then came Volpe’s answer, Wells’ miscue, Domínguez’s grab, Bellinger’s triple, Hill’s 11th, and finally McMahon’s moment.
Grisham powers Yankees’ eighth-inning rally
Trent Grisham sparked the Yankees’ comeback with a leadoff home run in the eighth inning, his 18th of the season and a new career high. The blast off Bryan Baker tied the game 1-1 and ignited a four-hit rally that gave New York its first lead.
Giancarlo Stanton followed with the go-ahead RBI single, part of a sequence that saw the Yankees score twice in the frame to take a 2-1 advantage.
The eighth-inning explosion came after the Yankees had managed just two hits through the first seven innings against Tampa Bay pitching.
Volpe’s turns boos into booms
AP Photo/Frank Franklin II
Anthony Volpe experienced the full emotional spectrum Wednesday night. The shortstop committed his 16th error of the season in the eighth inning, leading to boos from the Yankee Stadium crowd. But he answered with his 16th home run in the ninth inning, a no-doubt blast that tied the game 3-3.
“I’ve never really experienced something like this,” said Volpe, whose 16 errors lead the majors. “But I’ve got really good guys around me. I know what I’m capable of.”
The error came on a routine grounder with two outs and nobody on base. Volpe charged the soft hit and threw a one-bouncer that first baseman Ben Rice couldn’t handle, extending the inning unnecessarily.
But Volpe’s ninth-inning heroics turned those jeers to cheers. His 16th homer of the season came at the perfect moment, pulling the Yankees even after Josh Lowe’s two-run shot had given Tampa Bay a 3-2 lead.
Manager Aaron Boone acknowledged the defensive struggles while maintaining faith in his 2023 AL Gold Glove winner.
“I think Anthony’s super tough. He’s wired for this,” Boone said. “He’s got a really high standard for himself. You get in your own way a little bit, especially when you’ve made mistakes. But when you get out there, and it’s game time, go make plays.”
Wells’ costly mental mistake threatens
Austin Wells provided one of the game’s most bizarre moments in the ninth inning. After Volpe’s game-tying homer, Wells singled and appeared to be in perfect position to score the winning run.
But confusion struck after Grisham’s bunt attempt was fielded for the second out. Wells believed it was the third out and began jogging toward the dugout, only to be tagged out in a stunning 5-3-6-3 rundown.
“Just thought there was three outs,” Wells said. “Very embarrassed and disappointed, for sure. You let the guys down when you do that. I think I was just being an idiot.”
The mental error forced extra innings, but Wells’ teammates picked him up in the dramatic finish.
Yankees’ clutch king Bellinger restores it
Cody Bellinger continued his torrid stretch with another game-saving performance. The veteran outfielder delivered a crucial RBI triple in the 10th inning that tied the game 4-4 and kept the Yankees’ hopes alive.
“It took everybody, right?” Bellinger said. “Just a crazy game overall.”
The clutch hit extended Bellinger’s remarkable run. Manager Aaron Boone has taken notice of his impact player’s consistent production in pressure situations.
“We talk about, obviously, Aaron Judge being MVP, and rightfully so, but we’re gonna get to the end of the year and Cody Bellinger’s gonna be on that list,” Boone said. “I don’t know where he’s gonna fall, but he’s played that well.”
Bellinger went 2-for-5 in the contest, building on Tuesday night’s game-tying three-run homer against the same Rays team. His ability to deliver in crucial moments has become a defining characteristic of the Yankees’ season.
Dominguez saves with season’s best defensive play
Lost in all the drama and clown show:
Jasson Dominguez saved this game with his defense. He has come a long way.
Jasson Dominguez provided the game’s most spectacular moment with a wall-crashing catch in the 10th inning. The young left fielder banged into the padding while hauling in Jonathan Aranda’s sacrifice fly with the bases loaded, limiting what could have been a devastating blow.
“That was a tough fly ball, but I’ve been working with my coaches almost every day,” Dominguez said. “You work on those plays. That helped me the most.”
The catch showcased Dominguez’s improved approach to defensive plays. Early in the season, the prospect had been tentative on similar opportunities, but his aggressive pursuit on Wednesday potentially saved multiple runs.
“We practice all those plays,” Dominguez said. “We practice that almost every week, and you just get used to it with the reps. When I get close to the wall, I feel like I’ve done it before.”
His teammates’ reaction told the story of the play’s importance.
“I think they were happier than me,” Dominguez said.
Originally prepared to bunt, McMahon’s plans changed when Kelly balked to advance Jazz Chisholm Jr. to third base. The left-handed hitter then sent a 382-foot fly ball into center field that dropped in front of Tampa Bay’s drawn-in outfield.
“One thing about this team – and I’ve seen it plenty of times – they’re never out of a game,” McMahon said. “And I think we showed that tonight.”
Ryan McMahon is batting .353 (6-for-17) with four RBI in his first five games as a Yankee. The third baseman made a defensive impact too, recording a leaping grab on Brandon Lowe’s line drive in the 11th inning.
“It feels good,” McMahon said. “It makes it a little bit easier to feel like you’re really part of a team and everything like that, but hey, man, this is an extremely humbling game, so just trying to take it day by day.”
“To be called because I was screaming from the dugout,” Warren said with a smile.
Hill comes through in relief
Tim Hill worked a scoreless 11th inning to earn the victory, despite manager Aaron Boone’s preference to give him the night off due to workload concerns. The left-hander needed just 11 pitches to retire the Rays and set up McMahon’s heroics.
“Sometimes these extra-inning games can be defeating if you don’t win – you’ve just expended all these resources,” Hill said. “But if you get it, it’s great.”
Hill (4-3) became the fifth Yankees reliever used in the contest, highlighting the bullpen’s depth in crucial moments.
Standings and series outlook
The victory keeps the Yankees (59-49) four games behind the first-place Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East. Tampa Bay (54-55) dropped below .500 for the first time since May 24 and has now lost eight of their last 10 games.
“This team does a great job of playing,” Boone said. “Just keep playing, and we talk about that a lot. You’ve got to be able to withstand a mistake, because the next play is just too important.”
According to OptaStats, the Yankees became the first MLB team in the modern era to erase deficits in the 8th, 9th, and 10th innings — and still win in the 11th.
The wild finish featured three ties and four lead changes over the final four innings, showcasing the Yankees’ resilience in what manager Boone called a game with “playoff feel” intensity.
