The Yankees are back in the playoffs.
Anthony Rizzo’s RBI double drove in the go ahead run in the top of the tenth and the Yankees made some clutch plays to secure a 10-inning, 2-1 win over the Mariners in Seattle that sends them to the post season.
The Yankees also moved a step closer to an AL East title. With the Orioles losing to the Giants, it’s now a five game lead with 10 games remaining and the Yankees magic number to clinch the division is down to six.
“We definitely know the job’s not finished,” Aaron Judge said in a raucous Yankee clubhouse. “We’re hunting this division but get an opportunity to punch our ticket back in the post season after last year missing out, it means a lot.”
For a second straight night, the Mariners ran themselves out of an inning.
After Rizzo gave the Yankees the lead in the top of the 10th, Ian Hamilton was brought on for the save. Julio Rodriguez was the ghost runner at second to start the inning and went to third on Cal Raleigh’s single to put runners on the corners with nobody out.
As Randy Arozarena swung and missed at an 89 MPH slider, he flung the bat into foul territory. Rodriguez, who was on third, had to avoid the wayward bat but drifted off the bag into foul territory and did not realize the play was live so he took his time getting back to third base. Austin Wells saw what was happening and alertly fired to Jazz Chisholm Jr at third to pick off Rodriguez.
“We’ve had some good fortune with some runners at third so far in this series but heads up play there, obviously by Wells to realize what was going on and obviously a huge out,” Manager Aaron Boone said during an interview with Yes Network reporter Meredith Marakovits on the field after the game.
Victor Robles made a strange baserunning blunder in the opening game of the series when he unsuccessfully tried to steal home with two out and the bases loaded and a 3-0 count on Justin Turner in the bottom of the first inning.
“We made two crazy plays I haven’t seen before. They keep us on our toes,” Wells said.
Nestor Cortes gave up four hits and struck out six in six scoreless innings. The bullpen tossed the final four innings with one hiccup when Clay Holmes gave up a solo home run to Turner that tied the game in the seventh.
The Mariners have one of the better pitching staffs in the American League but Rizzo, who has had a tough season, provided all the offense that was needed.
Seattle’s starting pitcher Bryce Miller just about matched Cortes except for the top of the second when the Yankees took a 1-0 lead thanks to one of their speedsters.
With one out, Jasson Dominguez walked and stole second, but went to third when Raleigh’s throw went into the center field. Rizzo jumped on a 2-0, hanging slider from Miller and drove it into right field to scored Dominguez with the first run of the game.
Cortes worked around a lead off double in the second and then stranded a pair of runners in the fourth and fifth innings.
In his final inning of work, Cortes walked Turner to lead off the inning but got Jorge Polanco to ground into a double play and then finished it off by getting Mitch Haniger on a harmless fly out to center.
The Yankees had a chance in the third to pad the lead but Chisholm Jr struck out with the bases loaded.
After the third inning, the Yankees did not get another hit until Rizzo’s double to lead off the tenth as the Mariners retired 18 of the next 19 Yankee hitters with the only baserunner in that span being Juan Soto’s two out walk in the eighth.
Tommy Kahnle started the seventh but had some command problems as he walked lead off hitter J.P. Crawford on four pitches. Kahnle struck out Haniger and got Josh Rojas on a ground out to short as Crawford took second.
Boone went to Holmes to get the final out in the seventh. After walking Rodriguez, Holmes retired Raleigh on a fly out to left but not before he lined a long fly ball foul down the right field line.
Holmes struck out Arozarena to begin the eighth, but he hung a slider to Turner, who hit it just inside the left field foul pole to tie the game at one.
Luke Weaver got the final two outs in the eighth and pitched a scoreless ninth to send the game to extra innings.
Dominguez was the runner at second and Rizzo wasted no time as he jumped on the first pitch, a hanging slider from Collin Snider, who was in his second inning of work, and drove it down the right field line to score the eventual winning run.
“He [Rizzo] won us the game today,” Judge said. “Getting the early run for us and then having that great at bat in extras. He’s a guy that’s been there, done that in big moments so we expect him to go out there and do that.”
After Wells picked off Rodriguez to complete the clutch double play in the bottom of the tenth, Hamilton struck out Turner on three pitches and the Yankees headed to their clubhouse to pop champagne and celebrate a return to the playoffs after missing them last season.
“Not getting in last year was difficult, tough off season,” Boone said. “We got a long way to go, we know this is just the first step. Obviously, one of our goals, you want to get in the dance and have a chance to chase that prize. We got that accomplished, hopefully now we can go out and win the division and get that next goal.”