The New York Yankees (27-20) jumped out to another lead and tacked on three late runs to secure a 6-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds (19-25) in the series opener on Friday night at Great American Ball Park.
Aaron Judge stayed red-hot at the plate, crushing a 431-foot solo home run, his 13th of the season and seventh in the last seven games. Anthony Rizzo smacked his tenth homer, a 424-foot two-run shot, and picked up a single. Kyle Higashioka added a two-out, two-run double, while Harrison Bader chipped in a two-out RBI single.
Clarke Schmidt turned in his second-best outing of the season, allowing two runs on five hits over five innings while walking two and striking out six. The right-hander made it into the sixth but quickly entered a jam, and Jimmy Cordero came on and limited the damage.
Albert Abreu, Wandy Peralta, and Nick Ramirez recorded scoreless outings.
The Yankees will try to win the series on Saturday with Jhony Brito on the mound. The first pitch is slated for 4:10 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].