Yankees Close in on Blue Jays After 8-5 Win Over Astros
The New York Yankees (78-62) have tightened the race in the American League East, moving to just three games behind the Toronto Blue Jays. The teams are set to face off in a three-game weekend series starting Friday in New York.
The Yankees held off a late Astros rally to secure an 8-5 victory. After Houston cut a three-run deficit to 4-3 in the seventh inning, Josh McMahon came through with a clutch single in the eighth, scoring pinch-runner Jasson Dominguez and extending New York’s lead. Brett Grisham followed with his 30th home run, a 404-foot shot that brought in Austin Wells and McMahon.
Houston’s Yordan Alvarez was a bright spot for the Astros, hitting 4-for-5 with two RBIs, including a solo homer in the third off Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodon. Alvarez also scored in the sixth on a throwing error by Jose Caballero. Rodon pitched six innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on three hits while striking out three.
Jesus Sanchez added his 13th homer of the season for Houston, hitting a pinch-hit shot in the seventh, the team’s first pinch-homer this year. The Astros loaded the bases in the ninth, but Yankees reliever David Bednar struck out Carlos Correa and Christian Walker to secure the win.
The Yankees put pressure on Astros starter Cristian Javier early, chasing him from the mound in the fifth. McMahon opened the scoring with an RBI single in the second and later crushed a 19th home run in the fifth. The Yankees scored three consecutive runs to take a 3-1 lead, highlighted by a bases-loaded walk after a pitch-clock violation against Houston reliever Enyel De Los Santos.
With this win, the Yankees remain firmly in the hunt in the AL East, setting up a critical series against the Blue Jays this weekend.
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