The New York Yankees (62-66) took the series opener from the Tampa Bay Rays (78-52) Friday night at Tropicana Field behind Gerrit Cole’s strong outing and DJ LeMahieu’s multi-homer game.
Cole, who gave up six earned runs against Boston his last time out, allowed two runs (one earned) over 7 2/3 innings while striking out 11, tying his season high. The right-hander improved to 11-4 on the season and lowered his ERA to 2.95.
LeMahieu smacked a pair of solo home runs, his first multi-homer game since May 7, 2021. Giancarlo Stanton hammered a two-run double, while Everson Pereira and Gleyber Torres added run-scoring hits.
The Yankees will try to win their first series since July 21-23 on Saturday at 4:10 p.m. Clarke Schmidt will take the ball.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].