Six-run 7th finishes Astros
Devenski allows bases-loaded triple to slumping Yankee.
Chase Headley stopped a 1-for-24 slide with a tiebreaking, bases-loaded triple off Chris Devenski in a six-run seventh inning, and the New York Yankees rallied to beat the Houston Astros 11-6 on Sunday in a doubleheader opener.
Looking pretty in pink in special Mother’s Day uniforms, the AL East leaders stopped their first threegame losing streak since the season’s opening week.
“It was pretty important, not only for myself but, obviously, for the team,” said Headley, whose batting average had dropped from .304 on May 5 to .256.
Houston, a big league-best 25-12, had been trying to move 15 games over .500 for the first time since the Astros went 89-73 in 2005 and won their only NL pennant.
New York trailed 3-1 before Starlin Castro’s tying, tworun homer off Mike Fiers in the fourth.
Aaron Judge followed with his major league-leading 14th homer, a 441-foot drive off the padding above the center-field restaurant behind Monument Park.
But Houston took a 6-4 lead in the seventh inning against reliever Adam Warren (1-0).
New York came right back in the bottom half when Matt Holliday hit a run-scoring infield single against Will Harris (1-1) and Castro tied the score with a double off Devenski.
Judge was intentionally walked, Didi Gregorius struck out on three pitches and Headley sent a hanging change-up rolling to the right-center field gap.
“You just tell yourself to relax and try to take a deep breath and keep everything in perspective,” Headley said.
“When you haven’t gotten a hit in a while, it feels like it’s been five years since you’ve gotten a hit.”
Chris Carter followed with an RBI double for a 10-6 lead. Brett Gardner added an eighth-inning homer off Tony Sipp.
Devenski leads big league relievers with 43 strikeouts. He had stranded all seven of his inherited runners this year and only three of 37 had scored in his big league career.
“Those definitely weren’t my best change-ups,” Devenski said. “I didn’t really execute well on that fastball to Castro.”
Pitching on six days’ rest, Yankees starter Luis Severino got just three outs with his first 44 pitches and was chased after 77 pitches and 2⅓ innings. He gave up three runs, six hits and a season-high three walks.
Fiers, who has allowed a big league-high 16 homers, gave up four runs and four hits in 5⅔ innings.
Houston had gone ahead 6-4 in the seventh when Evan Gattis’ second RBI single tied the score, and Yuli Gurriel followed hit a sacrifice fly.