No HR for Judge, but Yankees roll to win over Bucs
Aaron Judge disappointed fans by staying stuck at 60 homers but doubled twice and scored on Oswaldo Cabrera’s first-inning grand slam that started the Yankees to a 14-2 rout of the Pirates in the Bronx on Wednesday.
A night after hitting home run No. 60 to spark a stunning five-run, ninth-inning rally capped by Giancarlo Stanton’s game-ending slam, Judge doubled on the first pitch to him in the first and fifth innings. Given another time up during an eight-run eighth inning, Judge walked on four pitches from rookie Eric Stout as the sellout crowd of 46,175 booed loudly.
Judge went 2-for-4 and with 14 games left remained one home run shy of tying the American League record set by the Yankees’ Roger Maris in 1961. Judge leads the AL in average (.317), home runs and RBIs (128), in position to become the first Triple Crown winner in a decade.
Cabrera and Gleyber Torres had five RBIs each. Torres homered twice in the eighth inning, raising his season total to 23.
New York (90-58) closed in on its sixth straight postseason berth and 24th in 28 years. The Yankees began the night 51⁄2 games ahead of second-place Toronto in the AL East.
Cabrera made the Yankees the first team in major-league history to end a game with a slam and hit another in the first inning of its next game, according to STATS.
Brewers 6, Mets 0:
Pinch-hitter Mike Brosseau greeted Drew Smith with a grand slam in the pitcher’s return from two months on the injured list as host Milwaukee beat New York.
“We know we have to put the gas pedal down, for sure,” said Brewers manager Craig Counsell, who team is in the wildcard hunt. “We did that this homestand and we’ll continue to.”
The Mets (95-56), already assured of at least a wild card, maintained a one-game NL East lead over Atlanta (93-56).
The Mets’ Mark Canha was hit by a pitch twice and teammate Luis Guillorme once. Guillorme was struck on the right foot by a Jake Cousins slider in the ninth, the big-league record 106th hit batter of the season for New York. The 2021 Reds had 105 hit batters.
Astros 5, Rays 2: Kyle Tucker hit a two-run homer and Lance McCullers Jr. pitched seven effective innings as visiting Houston completed a three-game sweep.
Astros second baseman Jose Altuve left after being hit on the left elbow by Corey Kluber’s pitch in the fifth. Manager Dusty Baker said Altuve will probably miss the opener of a fourgame series in Baltimore on Thursday night.
Nationals 3, Braves 2:
Joey Meneses hit a goahead, two-run homer off Jesse Chavez in the seventh inning as visiting Washington beat Atlanta, whose five-game winning streak was snapped.
The Braves had won 10 straight home games, outscoring opponents 47-16.
Orioles 8, Tigers 1: Jordan Lyles threw a three-hitter for his second career complete game and Kyle Stowers homered and drove in three runs for host Baltimore.
Cubs 4, Marlins 3: Ian Happ’s sacrifice fly capped Chicago’s threerun eighth in Miami.
Reds 5, Red Sox 1: Jonathan India and Kyle Farmer each drove in two runs to help Cincinnati snap a five-game home losing streak.
Parking-lot spat: Rays teammates Yandy Díaz and Randy Arozarena had an altercation after a loss to the Astros on Monday, prompting Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash to bench both players Tuesday.
Arozarena told reporters Wednesday that there was no physical contact with Díaz, and that there were some little things they needed to address. He said things are good between the two.
“I think these players, we owe it to them to keep what goes on in the clubhouse in the clubhouse,” Cash said Wednesday. “I’m not going to confirm, deny, whatever, but, I’m very confident we’re past everything.”
Briefly: The Rangers signed catcher Kevin Plawecki, who had been released by the Red Sox. ... Utilityman Jake Lamb was designated for assignment by the Mariners.