The New York Yankees rallied late to defeat the Washington Nationals 5-3 on Friday night at Nationals Park after a rain delay of nearly two hours, improving their record to 52-42 by opening the series with a comeback victory. Jazz Chisholm Jr. delivered the decisive blow with a two-run homer in the ninth inning after New York watched a late lead disappear in the seventh.
Mets drop series opener to Red Sox The Yankees struck first when Ben Rice launched his 29th home run of the season in the opening inning, continuing his torrid stretch with his seventh homer in the last 10 games. Jasson Domínguez added a solo shot in the fourth to restore New York’s lead after Washington answered with a run earlier in the game.
Ryan Weathers turned in another solid outing, allowing one run on six hits while striking out six over 5.1 innings. He exited with traffic on the bases in the sixth, but Fernando Cruz escaped the jam by striking out Daylen Lile and Jorbit Vivas to preserve the lead. That advantage disappeared in the seventh when Tim Hill surrendered back-to-back home runs to Keibert Ruiz and James Wood, giving Washington a 3-2 lead.
New York struggled to capitalize on scoring chances throughout the night, finishing 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and leaving eight men on base. Paul Goldschmidt did snap his career-long 0-for-34 hitless streak with a first-inning single and finished 2-for-5.
The breakthrough finally came in the ninth when Chisholm crushed a two-run homer to put the Yankees back in front. David Bednar then recorded the final six outs, allowing only a hit batter, to secure the victory.
The Yankees continue their three-game series against the Nationals on Saturday, with first pitch scheduled for 4:05 p.m. Right-hander Cam Schlittler (9-5, 2.01 ERA) is expected to start for New York against Nationals right-hander Miles Mikolas (3-7, 5.78 ERA).
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.