New York Yankees rookie Anthony Volpe sent the Bronx faithful into hysterics with what many thought was a walk-off home run against the Boston Red Sox on Friday night.
The shortstop took a 3-2 offering from Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen deep down down the left-field line in the bottom of the ninth, only to see the ball fall into foul territory.
Volpe ultimately popped out to end the threat in the ninth inning as Boston earned a 3-2 victory over New York in their first meeting of the season – a win due in large part to another Rafael Devers home run off Yankees starter Gerrit Cole.
Triston Casas had two hits and an RBI and Enrique Hernandez also homered as the Red Sox ended a six-game losing streak at Yankee Stadium and won for the sixth time in their past 18 games overall.
Josh Donaldson homered for the Yankees, who lost for the third time in four games and dropped to 1-19 when scoring two runs or fewer this season.
Devers hit his seventh homer in 33 career at-bats against Cole (7-1). The third baseman also ended a 16-game homerless drought by going deep for the first time since hitting two May 19 at San Diego.
Volpe sent Yankees fans into hysterics with what many thought was a walk-off against Boston
Kenley Jansen (74) is greeted by Boston Red Sox designated hitter Justin Turner after last out
Jansen, who entered with a 7.88 ERA over his past nine outings, got two quick outs before encountering trouble. Billy McKinney and Gleyber Torres singled to give the Yankees runners on first and second for Volpe.
Volpe then hit his foul ball down the left-field line that missed a game-ending three-run homer by a few feet.
Jansen then got the rookie on a pop-up to secure his 14th save in 17 chances.
Garrett Whitlock (3-2), a former 18th-round pick by New York in 2017, allowed two runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings. In his first start against his former organization after 12 relief appearances versus them, Whitlock struck out six and walked one.
Boston Red Sox’s Rafael Devers slides past New York Yankees catcher Jose Trevino
Cole allowed two runs on seven hits in six innings for his first loss since his final regular-season start of last season. Cole struck out six and walked one.
Devers hit a one-out double in the fourth and scored two batters later on Casas’ single. In his next at-bat, Devers reached for a first-pitch changeup and lifted it into the visiting bullpen beyond the left-center field fence for his 14th homer and a 2-0 Boston lead in the sixth.
In the bottom of the sixth, Donaldson hit the second pitch of the inning into the netting above Monument Park in center field to make it 2-1, but Hernandez homered to left off Albert Abreu in the seventh.
The Yankees made it 3-2 when Isiah Kiner-Falefa scored on a wild pitch, which chased Whitlock. Nick Pivetta finished the seventh and Chris Martin worked a 1-2-3 eighth before Jansen escaped.
PHILLIES 5, DODGERS 4
Kyle Schwarber hit a tiebreaking homer run with two outs in the ninth inning and Philadelphia got its season-high sixth straight win.
Nick Castellanos, Bryce Harper and Trea Turner also drove in runs for the defending NL champion Phillies, who pulled within a game of .500.
Schwarber drove an 87-mph cutter on a 1-1 pitch from Caleb Ferguson (3-2) into the seats in right field to end the game. It was his 17th home run of the season – fourth in eight games this month.
Gregory Soto (2-4) pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, retiring Mookie Betts and striking out Freddie Freeman for the final two outs.
Betts and Freeman each went deep for the Dodgers, who have dropped five of six.
Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber hit a tiebreaking homer run with two outs in the ninth inning
Orioles’ Austin Hays, center left, is greeted at the dugout after hitting a leadoff home run
ORIOLES 3, ROYALS 2
Austin Hays homered on the first pitch thrown by Kansas City starter Daniel Lynch, Tyler Wells took a three-hitter into the seventh inning and Baltimore beat the struggling Royals 3-2.
Gunnar Henderson had three hits, stole two bases and scored a run for the Orioles, who have won two straight for the first time since May 24-25. Coming off a victory at Milwaukee, Baltimore never relinquished the lead after Hays´ leadoff shot inside the left-field foul pole.
Wells (5-2) allowed two runs and five hits over 6 2/3 innings, striking out four and walking one. The 6-foot-8 righty was lifted with the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh with the score 3-1.
Mike Baumann threw a wild pitch to let in a run before striking out Nicky Lopez.
Baltimore then turned to its potent 1-2 punch out of the bullpen to seal the victory. Yennier Cano worked a scoreless eighth to lower his ERA to 1.06 and Félix Bautista got three straight outs in the ninth for his 17th save. It was the seventh loss in eight games for the Royals, whose 18-45 record is second-worst in the majors next to Oakland.
Seeking his first win in 14 starts since last Aug. 1, Lynch (0-2) gave up three runs and eight hits in six innings.
TWINS 3, BLUE JAYS 2, 10 INNINGS
Michael A. Taylor hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning and had a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the 10th as Minnesota snapped a season-high five game losing streak.
Taylor generated all the scoring for the Twins, who had totaled seven runs in their previous six games.
Royce Lewis hit an infield single off Adam Cimber (0-1) to begin the 10th, advancing automatic runner Ryan Jeffers to third. One out later, Taylor hit a flyball to left field and Jeffers slid home ahead of a bouncing throw from Whit Merrifield.
Toronto loaded the bases against Jhoan Duran (2-2) in the ninth but couldn´t break through. Brandon Belt lined out to second base on a 3-2 pitch to send it to extra innings.
Duran worked around a one-out walk in the 10th, getting a strikeout and a popup to end it.
Minnesota Twins center fielder Michael A. Taylor (2) celebrates in the dugout after homering
Orlando Arcia and Raisel Iglesias celebrate the Braves’ 3-2 win over the Nationals on Friday
BRAVES 3, NATIONALS 2
Orlando Arcia broke an eighth-inning tie with an infield single and Atlanta beat Washington in yet another comeback victory.
Trailing 2-1, the Braves rallied against Kyle Finnegan (3-3) for two runs for their sixth consecutive win. The victory came after the Braves overcame deficits of at least three runs in each game of a three-game sweep of the New York Mets.
Sean Murphy led off the eighth with a single that hit Finnegan´s leg. Pinch-runner Sam Hilliard moved to third on Eddie Rosario´s single, and Rosario moved to second on a fielding error by right fielder Lane Thomas. Marcell Ozuna drove in Hilliard with a grounder to first base which Dominic Smith bobbled briefly as he looked to throw to the plate. Arcia´s grounder was bobbled by shortstop CJ Abrams and ruled a hit as Rosario scored the go-ahead run.
The Nationals have lost five straight and eight of 10.
Kirby Yates (2-0) pitched a perfect eighth and Raisel Iglesias finished for his ninth save.
RAYS 8, RANGERS 3
Isaac Paredes homered twice and drove in a career-high six runs, Tyler Glasnow got his first win in two years, and Tampa Bay beat Texas.
Paredes had an RBI double with two outs in the first inning and made it 4-1 with a three-run homer in the third off Andrew Heaney (4-4). His second home run, a two-run shot off Spencer Howard, came in a four-run sixth that put Tampa Bay ahead 8-1.
Glasnow (1-0) gave up one run, one hit and struck out six over six innings in his third start this year. It was the 6-foot-8 right-hander´s first win since June 8, 2021. He missed most of last season after Tommy John surgery and started 2023 on the injured list with a left oblique strain.
Kevin Kelly and Luis Patiño completed a three-hitter as Tampa Bay won its seventh straight.
Leody Taveras had his first career multihomer game and Josh Jung also went deep for the high-scoring Rangers,
Isaac Paredes (center) homered twice and drove in a career-high six runs for the Rays
Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll runs the bases after homering in Detroit
DIAMONDBACKS 11, TIGERS 6
Arizona rookie Corbin Carroll hit his first grand slam in a seven-run seventh inning for his second homer of the night and Arizona handed Detroit its seventh straight loss.
Carroll also doubled in the ninth. On Wednesday night in a 6-2 victory in Washington in NL West-leading Arizona´s previous game, the speedy outfielder was 4 for 5 with a homer and two RBIs. He´s hitting .307.
Merrill Kelly (8-3) improved to 7-0 in his last six starts, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out five.
Jake Rogers homered twice for Detroit, and Javier Báez homered in the ninth.
The game was tied a 2 after six innings, with Carroll´s grand slam capping the seven-run seventh.
Christian Walker and Emmanuel Rivera led off the seventh with doubles, giving Arizona a 3-2 lead. After a sacrifice bunt, Jake McCarthy punched a single over the drawn-in infield to put make it 4-2. The Diamondbacks loaded the bases with two out, and Will Vest walked Ketel Marte to force in the fifth run. Carroll then hit a 2-2 fastball down the left-field line for his 13th homer to give Arizona a 9-2 lead.
Michael Lorenzen (2-3) gave up six runs and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out three.
PIRATES 14, METS 7
Ke´Bryan Hayes tied career highs with five hits and four RBIs and Pittsburgh routed mistake-prone New York.
The Pirates jumped on Tylor Megill (5-4) early to send the reeling Mets to their seventh straight loss.
Hayes had a two-run single in the third against Megill and followed with a two-run double in the fifth off reliever Zach Muckenhirn while extending his hitting streak to eight games. The Pittsburgh third baseman is hitting .558 (19 of 34) with 11 RBIs during the streak, which began when he was briefly dropped to seventh in the order with his batting average languishing at .221.
Pittsburgh Pirates’ Ke’Bryan Hayes scores against the New York Mets during the third inning
Mets starting pitcher Tylor Megill lasted just 3.2 innings and allowed seven earned runs
Jack Suwinski went 3 for 4 with his 12th home run of the season. Carlos Santana had two hits, including his fourth home run.
Rich Hill (6-5) worked seven innings for his second straight victory. The 43-year-old Hill gave up two runs on seven hits with two walks and six strikeouts in his longest outing of the season.
Francisco Lindor hit his 12th home run of the season for New York. Starling Marte singled twice against the team he spent the first eight years of his career. New York´s seven-game slide is its longest since it dropped seven straight in June 2019.
ATHLETICS 5, BREWERS 2
Ramón Laureano hit a two-run triple, Jonah Bride also drove in a pair of runs and the Oakland Athletics beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-2 on Friday night for their first three-game winning streak of the season.
The Athletics (15-50) entered the day having put together the worst 64-game start by any team since the 1982 Minnesota Twins also went 14-50, but they´ve won their last three games by a combined score of 25-9.
All three of those wins have come away from home. The Athletics – planning to move to Las Vegas – had lost 15 straight road games before this streak.
Athletics’ Ryan Noda slides home safely under the tag of Brewers catcher William Contreras
GUARDIANS 10, ASTROS 9, 14 INNINGS
Will Brennan doubled home Tyler Freeman immediately after Freeman´s RBI double in the 14th inning, and the Cleveland Guardians outlasted the Houston Astros 10-9 on Friday night.
The Guardians fell behind 4-0 in the second inning and never led until Brennan’s game-ending hit. Cleveland tied it at 5-5, 6-6, 7-7 and 8-8, but Houston pushed back ahead by one run each time.
The Astros made it 9-8 in the 14th when Kyle Tucker singled in automatic runner Jose Altuve for the second time in three innings. Josh Naylor also scored twice in extra innings after starting the frame on second base, including the tying run in the 14th.
Cleveland Guardians’ Will Brennan (17) is mobbed by teammates after getting the winning hit
Xzavion Curry (3-0) pitched one inning for the Guardians, who played their major league-high 30th one-run game, while Seth Martinez (1-2) worked the final 3 1/3 innings for the Astros. The 4-hour, 3-minute game was the longest of the season for either team.
Steven Kwan singled home David Fry in the 13th for Cleveland after Mauricio Dubón’s run-scoring double gave the Astros an 8-7 in the top half.
Both teams also scored in the 12th with Houston going up 7-6 on Tucker´s RBI single that plated Altuve, and Cleveland extending the game when Naylor scored on a throwing error by shortstop Jeremy Peña.
WHITE SOX 2, MARLINS 1
Luis Robert Jr. smacked an RBI single in the ninth inning to give the Chicago White Sox a 2-1 victory over the Miami Marlins on Friday night.
Dylan Cease threw six strong innings, and Liam Hendriks (2-0) worked a 1-2-3 ninth. Yasmani Grandal homered and had three hits, and the White Sox cooled off surging Miami with their sixth victory in seven games.
Elvis Andrus singled leading off the ninth against Dylan Floro (3-4) and took second on a wild pitch. Tim Anderson struck out before the Marlins intentionally walked the left-handed Andrew Benintendi, setting up a righty-versus-right matchup. But Robert foiled it when he drove the winning single past third baseman Jean Segura.
It was a sweet finish for Robert to what had been a difficult day at the plate. He struck out with the bases loaded in the third inning and was hitless in his first four appearances, though he reached on catcher’s interference in the seventh.
CARDINALS 7, REDS 4
Rookie Jordan Walker homered and had a career-best three hits, Jordan Montgomery pitched six scoreless innings and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-4 Friday night.
Nolan Gorman and Nolan Arenado also homered for St. Louis, which has won two straight after dropping five in a row.
Montgomery (3-7) allowed three hits and struck out six to win for the first time since April 8 at Milwaukee. The Cardinals had lost Montgomery´s previous 10 starts.
Ben Lively (3-4) allowed seven runs on 10 hits in 6 2/3 innings as Cincinnati lost for the sixth time in its last nine games.
St. Louis Cardinals’ Jordan Walker celebrates after hitting a two-run home run
Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras celebrates after throwing the Reds’ Will Benson out
PADRES 9, ROCKIES 6
Yu Darvish pitched into the sixth inning to earn his 100th career win and was backed by five home runs as the San Diego Padres beat the Colorado Rockies 9-6 Friday night.
Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Gary Sánchez, Trent Grisham and Brandon Dixon all went deep to help the Padres win consecutive games for the first time since May 25-26.
Darvish (5-4) earned the benchmark victory after allowing four earned runs and five hits while striking out six and walking four in 5 1/3 innings.
ANGELS 5, MARINERS 4
Shohei Ohtani homered and had three hits, but did not factor in the decision after allowing three runs in five innings, Mickey Moniak hit the go-ahead, two-run homer and the Los Angeles Angels extended their winning streak to five with a 5-4 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night.
It was the seventh time, and second this season, the Japanese two-way superstar has homered in a game where he also pitched. Ohtani has also hit safely in the past six games and is 11 for 24 during that stretch.
Two of Moniak’s five homers this season have ended up being the game-winning hit. This one came on a fastball from Luis Castillo (4-4) with two out in the sixth inning. Anthony Rendon got aboard when he was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning.
Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani walks off the field after striking out Eugenio Suarez
Mariners’ J.P. Crawford dives back to first as Angels first baseman Jared Walsh takes the throw
Jacob Webb (1-0) got the win and Carlos Estévez picked up his 17th save.
Jarred Kelenic and Mike Ford homered for the Mariners, who have dropped five of their last six.
Seattle got to 5-4 in the ninth when Ford hit a solo shot to right to lead off the ninth. Ford was 1 for 13 before that homer. Jose Caballero drew a walk and stole second. Estévez though retired the next three hitters with Mike Trout making a running catch on Ty France’s line drive into the right-center field gap to end the game.