Rays rallied – Gerrit Cole returned after elbow ligament replacement surgery with six scoreless innings, but a José Caballero error helped Tampa Bay erupt for four runs in the eighth as the Rays beat the New York Yankees 4-2 for their 16th win in 19 games.
NEW YORK — Gerrit Cole walked back into a Yankees game with a smooth. measurable confidence: six scoreless innings. two hits allowed. three walks. and two strikeouts. His fastball sat at 96.1 mph. averaging that pace with his four-seam as he tested an elbow that had undergone ligament replacement surgery.
The problem for New York wasn’t what Cole did.
It was what happened right after, in the eighth inning—when the Yankees were already trying to stop a team that had been rolling so hard it was starting to feel inevitable.
Tampa Bay’s breakthrough began with Austin Wells, who homered for the first time since April 28. It came in the fifth inning off Nick Martinez, giving the Rays a lead before the Yankees could settle into a rhythm.
By the time the eighth arrived. the momentum belonged to Tampa Bay again. even as the Yankees tried to hang on with Aaron Judge—who went 0 for 4 and ended the night with a flyout to the center-field warning track with a man on. The miss extended Judge’s slump to 1-for-24 and dropped his average to .245. He has gone a career-high 11 games without any RBIs.
At shortstop, José Caballero was back after missing 10 days with a broken finger. In the eighth, Chandler Simpson’s one-hopper bounced off Caballero’s glove at the moment it mattered most—leading the play that opened the door for four Tampa Bay runs.
Junior Caminero singled off Tim Hill (0-2). Jonathan Aranda followed with an RBI double, and Yandy Díaz was intentionally walked to load the bases. Then Richie Palacios hit a comebacker that had the makings of a 1-2-3 double play. but the ball bounced off the glove of a leaping Hill. over Caballero. and into center for a two-run single. Ryan Vilade added a sacrifice fly to push the inning further out of reach.
Ian Seymour (3-0) later allowed Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s RBI triple in the eighth, but Bryan Baker closed it out with three outs for his 14th save in 17 chances, turning what could have been a shift into a finishing punch.
The Rays didn’t just win—they took control of the standings. Tampa Bay improved to 16th win in 19 games, carrying a big league-best record of 34-15. They are 4-0 against the Yankees and opened a 5 1/2-game lead in the American League East.
The night also came with injuries for Tampa Bay. Jonny DeLuca hurt his right hamstring while running to first on a seventh-inning single. then left after having trouble going from first to third on Cedric Mullins’ double. Rays manager Kevin Cash said DeLuca likely will be put on the injured list. DeLuca didn’t play for the Rays after Aug. 6 last year due to a left hamstring injury.
For New York, Trent Grisham, who missed Thursday’s game because of a sore knee, finished with three hits.
Cole’s outing, for all its precision, couldn’t change the larger story: when the Rays needed a break, they found one. And when they found it, they made sure the Yankees couldn’t take it back.
Gerrit Cole Tampa Bay Rays New York Yankees José Caballero Austin Wells Aaron Judge MLB AL East
Rays always seem to hit at the weirdest times.
So Cole comes back and does great for SIX scoreless and then somehow they still lose? That eighth inning thing sounds like the whole game right there. Judge slump is crazy too like 1-for-24?? man.
I’m not even sure what the Caballero error was, but it’s like one bad play and suddenly Tampa is scoring 4 like it’s automatic. Also “ligament replacement” makes it sound like his elbow is basically new which is wild, but 3 walks?? feels like he almost did it on purpose? idk.
Maybe I’m missing it, but Wells homering “first since April 28” and then they just exploded in the eighth… sounds like they were saving everything for later which is just annoying as a Yankees fan. Judge 0-4 and still batting like normal? also Caballero back after a broken finger just to drop one at the worst time… baseball is brutal. I swear these games turn on one bounce.