The New York Yankees overcame an early injury scare and broke the game open with eight runs over the final four innings to beat the Texas Rangers 9-2 on Thursday afternoon at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees improved to 26-12 while the Rangers fell to 17-20 as New York secured its sixth consecutive series victory.
The game took a frightening turn immediately when Jasson Dominguez slammed into the left-field wall while robbing Brandon Nimmo of extra bases in the first inning. Dominguez stayed down for several moments before being carted off the field. The Yankees later announced he entered concussion protocol and underwent an MRI on his shoulder.
New York responded quickly after the lengthy delay. Paul Goldschmidt tripled in the first inning before Cody Bellinger followed with another triple to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead.
Forced into a bullpen game after Ryan Weathers was scratched because of illness, the Yankees pieced things together effectively. Brendan Beck impressed in his MLB debut, allowing two runs across three innings after Paul Blackburn opened the game.
The Yankees finally broke through against MacKenzie Gore in the fifth with a six-run inning. Trent Grisham delivered the biggest hit with a bases-clearing double before J.C. Escarra, Aaron Judge and Bellinger added RBI singles. Grisham finished 3-for-5 with three RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base, while Ryan McMahon reached base four times.
Tim Hill, Brent Headrick, and Jake Bird combined for three strong innings in relief before Camilo Doval closed it out.
The Yankees open a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday at 7:40 p.m. at American Family Field. Max Fried (4-1, 2.39 ERA) is scheduled to start against Jacob Misiorowski (2-2, 2.84 ERA).
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.