The top two teams in the AL East clashing for supremacy, the Rays having the edge based on regular season match ups, but that means nothing in the postseason.
Yankees are the visitors this game at the neutral location for this year. Up first DJ LeMahieu gets a base hit straight up the middle that just misses pitcher Blake Snell. He moves to second on a wild pitch, and third on a ground out. Aaron Hicks hits a sac fly that allows LeMahieu to score easily. Rays come up to bat and tie the score with a solo home run by Randy Arozarena. 1-1.
Clint Frazier up to bat first in the third inning and launches a solo shot of his own to left center field. 2-1 Yankees.
Fourth inning, Hicks gets a base hit. Giancarlo Stanton works a walk, as does Gleyber Torres to load the bases with two outs. They’re left that was as Frazier strikes out. Rays step into the batters box. Arozarena gets on base and Ji-Man Choi brings him home with a home run to center field. 3-2 Rays.
Yankees strike back in the fifth. Kyle Higashioka launches one to left center field to tie the game and Aaron Judge follows it up with one of his own to left field. Gerrit Cole loads the bases in the bottom of the inning, but gets out of the jam. 4-3 Yankees.
Moving ahead to the ninth. Higashioka hits the first pitch thrown to him and gets on base. LeMahieu walks, Judge strikes out, and Hicks gets a RBI single, giving the Yankees an insurance run over the Rays. Tyler Wade works a walk to load the bases. Stanton up to bat, connecting for a grand slam. A pop out and another single, and the Rays go for a pitching change, bringing in a rookie in his debut. Torres immediately steals second. Brett Gardner gets on base and Higashioka, who started off the inning walks to load the bases, again. The Rays get out of it this time, but the damage was done.
Stan Diego. pic.twitter.com/YQ3W5l2pjJ
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 6, 2020
Yankees win 9-3.
