Yankees rally to sweep Angels
NEW YORK — Jameson Taillon took a perfect game into the eighth inning, then fell behind before the New York Yankees rallied past the Los Angeles Angels 2-1 Thursday night on a clutch swing by pinch-hitter Anthony Rizzo.
With two outs in the bottom of the eighth, Rizzo grounded a two-run single up the middle. Clay Holmes left the bases loaded in the ninth, and the Yankees swept a thrilling doubleheader while handing the Angels their eighth straight loss — the team’s worst skid since 2019.
New York won the opener 6-1, with manager Joe Maddon indicating that starter Shohei Ohtani may have been tipping his pitches to the savvy Bronx Bombers. The AL MVP gave up homers to Matt Carpenter, Gleyber Torres and Aaron Judge.
Jared Walsh ended Taillon’s bid for a perfect game in the top of the eighth with a groundball double off shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s glove. He scored on Kurt Suzuki’s single for a 1-0 lead.
The Yankees countered by loading the bases with one out in the bottom half against Oliver Ortega (1-2). Archie Bradley relieved and struck out Joey Gallo, then got two strikes on Rizzo.
The former Chicago Cubs star ripped a 1-2 pitch right back up the middle, scoring Miguel Andújar and Kiner-Falefa easily.
Holmes replaced Taillon for the ninth and earned his seventh save. He walked Ohtani with two outs, drilled Mike Trout in the left arm with a pitch and also plunked Walsh on the knee before Luis Rengifo grounded out.
Trout seemed to be in significant pain but remained in the game.
Taillon allowed two hits, striking out five without a walk on a season-high 101 pitches.
Ohtani made history in the nightcap, joining Hall of Fame slugger Jimmie Foxx as the only players to start both ends of a doubleheader, one of them as a pitcher, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Foxx did it with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1945 during the final month of his career.