Gerrit Cole struck out 10 before fatiguing, while Mike Ford, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge all homered, powering the Yankees to an 8-4 victory over the Rays in the first game of a seven-inning doubleheader on Saturday at Tropicana Field.
Cole remained undefeated in four starts as a Yankee as he scattered six hits and walked a batter over 4 2/3 innings for his 26th consecutive start without a loss, a streak which dates to last season and is the fifth longest in history.
Ji-Man Choi stroked an RBI double and José Martínez slugged a two-run homer off Cole, who showcased a sizzling fastball at speeds up to 98.3 mph and finished one out shy of qualifying for a victory. Cole outdueled fellow flame-thrower Tyler Glasnow in a rematch of Game 5 of the 2019 American League Division Series.
Ford opened the scoring in the third inning by connecting for his first home run of the year, a two-run shot off Glasnow projected at 437 feet by Statcast. After a pair of walks and a strikeout, Gio Urshela added a two-run double that chased Glasnow, who was touched for four runs and five hits over 2 2/3 innings.
Ford puts a couple on the board ? pic.twitter.com/g26mFnbx3H
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 8, 2020
Gio la la pic.twitter.com/mhb9uFuJwr
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 8, 2020
Stanton extended the Yankees’ lead in the fifth inning with a solo home run off reliever Sean Gilmartin, Stanton’s third long ball of the season. After the Rays pulled within two in the fifth, Judge struck back in the sixth inning with his Major League-leading eighth homer, a two-run blast off Gilmartin.
The Florida Projectile. pic.twitter.com/C8UeF9Ctro
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 8, 2020
#AllRise as high as the catwalk. pic.twitter.com/l1JjGUn8V8
— MLB (@MLB) August 8, 2020
The victory was the Yankees’ first in six games at Tropicana Field, dating to last season.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].