ST. PETERSBURG, FL (SNN-TV) – Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 26th and 27th home runs, Jose Trevino delivered a two-run shot that put New York ahead in the eighth inning and the Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-4 on Wednesday night.
Judge’s 22nd career multi-homer game helped the Yankees come back from a 4-1 deficit after Isaac Paredes hit his fourth home run in two games for the Rays.
Clarke Schmidt, who was optioned to Triple-A postgame, got the win and Clay Holmes pitched a scoreless ninth for his 12th save in 13 attempts. The win was the 18th in 21 games for the Yankees, who maintained a 12-game lead in the AL East.
Tampa Bay lost for the eighth time in 11 games, and in dropping two of three to the rival Yankees lost a fourth straight series for the first time since August 2017. Rays starter Shane Baz pitched 4 2/3 innings in his sixth major league start, giving up one run and four hits while striking out six.
Today, the Rays acquired right-handed pitcher David McKay from the Yankees in exchange for cash considerations. McKay will be added to the Rays’ 40-man roster and sent to Triple-A. Manuel Margot is going on the 60-day injured list with a knee injury, opening a slot for McKay.
Up next for the Rays, LHP Jeffrey Springs pitches Friday night in the opener of a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.