Oct. 6 (UPI) — Giancarlo Stanton hit a ninth-inning grand slam after Gerrit Cole allowed three runs in six innings to lead the New York Yankees to a 9-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 of their American League Division Series.
Clint Frazier, Kyle Higashioka and Aaron Judge also homered for New York in the win Monday at Petco Park in San Diego. Cole allowed six hits and had eight strikeouts in the win.
“It was huge to come out like we did and wear their pitchers down the whole game,” Stanton told reporters.
Rays ace Blake Snell allowed six hits and four runs in five innings and Randy Arozarena and Ji-Man Choi homered in the loss.
“We were able to stop them when it really counted. It was unfortunate to give up the lead twice, but it was a good team game,” Cole said.
Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks plated D.J. LeMahieu with a sacrifice fly for the first run of the game in the top of the first inning. Arozarena followed with a solo home run for the Rays in the bottom of the frame.
The Yankees answered in the third inning when Frazier smacked a leadoff solo shot off Snell. The 416-foot blast had an exit velocity of 105 mph and sailed over the left field fence in 5.8 seconds, according to Statcast.
Choi responded with a two-run homer to center field to give the Rays a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth frame before the Yankees closed the door on the victory.
Higashioka hit a 417-foot solo shot off Snell to lead off the top of the fifth. Judge then hit a 274-foot solo homer to left field two at-bats later to give the Yankees a 4-3 lead.
Higashioka hit a leadoff single to start the ninth frame before he came in to score on a Hicks single. LeMahieu, Hicks and Tyler Wade then stood on the bases as Stanton stepped into the batter’s box and smacked a 2-2 slider from Rays relief pitcher John Curtiss over dead center field for a 411-foot grand slam.
The Yankees bullpen did not allow a hit or a run over the final three innings. Curtiss allowed four hits and five runs in 2/3 of an inning in relief of Snell.
Hicks went 3 for 4 with two RBIs and a run scored for the Yankees. LeMahieu, Higashioka and Gio Urshela had two hits apiece in the win.
Arozarena went 3 for 4 with two runs scored and an RBI for the Rays.
“They can hit,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “There is no secret in that. There was nothing unexpected.”
The Rays and Yankees play Game 2 at 8:10 p.m. EDT Tuesday in San Diego. Delvi Garcia is expected to start for the Yankees. Tyler Glasnow is expected to start for the Rays.
The winner of the series will face the Houston Astros or Oakland Athletics in the American League Championship Series, which starts on Oct. 11.
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