Yankees dominate early
The New York Yankees built a decisive lead against the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Ben Rice was the standout performer, hitting home runs in the first and fourth innings to drive in three runs. The Yankees finished with a 9-2 victory, improving their record to 91-67, while the Rays fell to 96-62. Attendance at the game was 42,238.
Scoring sequence
The Yankees took the lead in the first inning when Rice homered to right field for a 0-1 score. In the second inning, McMahon singled to center field, allowing Jones to score and extending the Yankees' lead to 0-2. The third inning proved decisive for New York. Lombard Jr. homered to right center for the 0-3 margin. Later in the same inning, McMahon homered to right field, driving in three additional runs as García Jr., Chisholm Jr., and Caballero crossed the plate. This play alone accounted for four runs, making the score 0-7.
Rays response
The Rays managed to score two runs in the middle innings. In the fourth inning, DeLuca doubled to right field, allowing Hicks to score and cutting the deficit to 1-7. Rice then homered to right center for the 1-8 score. In the fifth inning, Mullins homered to right field, bringing the Rays' total to two runs and making the score 2-8. The Yankees added their final run in the eighth inning when Ramos hit a sacrifice fly to right field, allowing Sánchez to score and Rice to reach third base. The final score was 9-2.
Pitching performance
Gerrit Cole earned the win for the Yankees, pitching 5.2 innings while allowing three hits and two earned runs. He also issued three walks and struck out eight batters. Mason Englert took the loss for the Rays, pitching 3.2 innings while giving up nine hits and eight earned runs. He walked one batter and struck out six. The Rays used four relievers, including Casey Legumina, Brody Hopkins, Steven Matz, and Cole Sulser, while the Yankees utilized Brent Headrick, John Schreiber, Tim Hill, Paul Blackburn, and David Bednar to close the game.
Sources
ESPN
