Just when it looked like the New York Yankees were about to fall to the Pittsburgh Pirates, Aaron Judge sparked a ninth-inning rally by crushing his 60th home run of the season. Following that, three consecutive batters reached base to load the bases for Giancarlo Stanton, who smashed a walk-off grand slam, giving the Yankees a 9-8 victory on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium.
With 15 games left in the regular season, Judge is one big swing away from tying Roger Maris’ American League record for home runs in a single season.
Harrison Bader made his Yankees debut and contributed right away as he collected a pair of hits and three RBIs. Jose Trevino chipped in with a run-scoring single.
Nestor Cortes started on the mound and tossed five innings of one-run ball while walking two and striking out four. The bullpen struggled as Ron Marinaccio, Lou Trivino, Jonathan Loáisiga, and Clay Holmes allowed runs.
Luis Severino will come off the injured list and start Wednesday as the Yankees will try to complete the two-game sweep of the Pirates. The first pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].