José Caballero hit a double that put the Rays ahead in the 10th inning, helping them win 2-0 against the New York Yankees on Saturday.
Caballero’s hit came right at the start of the 10th inning, driving in Richie Palacios who was already on base. He then stole third base and scored on a single by Ben Rortvedt.
“I was aiming to hit the ball to the opposite side. My goal was to bring the runner in,” Caballero explained. This was his first time making such a crucial hit in extra innings, and he was given the green light to steal third base.
Jason Adam took care of the Yankees in the ninth inning, retiring Juan Soto, Aaron Judge, and Anthony Rizzo. He managed to get Soto to hit a fly ball that almost went out of the park, and then struck out Judge, who had already struck out three times in the game.
Garrett Cleavinger finished off the game with a perfect 10th inning, securing his first major league save and completing the Rays’ first shutout of the season.
Cleavinger was given to save because Tampa Bay’s regular closer, Pete Fairbanks, wasn’t available due to feeling physically drained after experiencing stomach issues the day before.
“It’s great, our batters really stepped up when it counted,” Adam commented. “From top to bottom, it was a well-played game.”
This was the third time New York failed to score any runs. “We just couldn’t generate enough offense,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone remarked.
Before the game, there was a ceremony to honor broadcaster John Sterling, who is retiring. Despite this, the Yankees lost for the fourth time in six games. Judge struck out four times, which is the 10th time he’s done so in his career.
“I’ve heard worse, and I’d probably react the same way if I were in their shoes,” Judge responded.
New York’s starting pitcher, Nestor Cortes, managed to avoid trouble for parts of his outing, allowing six hits in seven innings. He struck out nine batters, which is the most he’s done in a game this season, and didn’t give up any walks. This was his second-longest outing of the season.
Tampa Bay’s Zach Eflin also pitched well, allowing only three hits in six innings. Eflin gave up two hits to Soto, who has a batting average of .354.
