The Playoffs Loom For the New York Yankees Who Hit 9 Home Run Against the Tampa Bay Rays

The playoffs loom for the Yankees, who have drastically improved their playoff position by winning. New York needed a big start from Carlos Rodon in this game. That would go a long way to further cementing their postseason standing.

The Yankees need to win three of four games when they host the Red Sox in a huge series this weekend at Yankee Stadium. In this game, they should have an advantage in starting pitching, with Carlos Rodon going against Shane Baz. However, Rodon has struggled of late. This makes you wonder who will start if New York makes the playoffs. Who do you think should start for the team in the postseason>

Lineups For Yanks Push To the Playoffs

The Tampa Rays had Chandler Simpson leading off and playing left field. Yandy Diaz was playing first base and batted second. Bob Seymour pinch-hit for him. Junior Caminero batted third and was the third baseman. Brandon Lowe batted fourth and was the first baseman. Tristan Gray pinch-hit for him. Ha-Seong Kim was the shortstop and batted fifth. Christopher Morel was the designated hitter and batted sixth. Everson Pereira was the center fielder and batted seventh. Jake Magnum was the right fielder and batted eighth. Nick Fortes was the catcher and batted ninth.

For the Yankees, Trent Grisham played center field and led off. Amed Rosario pinch-hit for him and played right field. Aaron Judge was the designated hitter and batted second. Cody Bellinger was the left fielder and batted third. He moved to right field, then to center field. Giancarlo Stanton was the right fielder and batted fourth. Jasson Dominguez pinch-hit for him. Ben Rice was the catcher and batted fifth. Paul Goldschmidt was the first baseman and batted sixth. Jazz Chisholm Jr. was the second baseman and batted seventh. Anthony Volpe was the shortstop and batted eighth. Jose Caballero was the third baseman and batted ninth.

News and Notes

No one is sure when Judge will return to the outfield. Manager Aaron Boone questioned whether he would play the field again this year, though the slugger said he plans to return in the next series against the Red Sox. Regardless, last night he was the designated hitter, and Stanton played right field.

Regardless of the situation with Judge, Goldschmidt had a huge game in the third and final day in St. Louis. His three hits powered the Yankees to a series sweep. He is getting hot at the right time. The Yankees are 7-4 against the Rays this season. This is the last time they are going to play this season. The playoff race is tightening up.

Game Reaction

There was a two-hour rain delay at the start of this game. The Yankees went back-to-back-to-back in the first inning. Judge, Stanton, and Bellinger all hit solo home runs. That was a good way to begin a game that is needed for their postseason push. That was the first time in Yankee history that the Yankees have done that three times. This was a resounding start to an important matchup. It was very humid, and Rodon sweated profusely. That affected his pitch grips. The Yankees tied a team record with nine home runs.

Scoring Summary

In the first inning, Judge hit his 40th home run of the season, a solo shot, and the Yankees took a 1-0 lead. The Yankees were not done. Bellinger hit a solo home run. The Yankees led 2-0. Then Stanton hit a solo home run and the Yankees took a 3-0 lead. In the second inning, Cabarello hit a two-run home run. ChisHolm Jr. also scored. New York led 5-0.

In the second inning, Fortes had a single, and Pereira, a  former Yankee, scored. It was 5-1. Then, Simpson hit a force out, and Magnum scored. So, it was 5-2 Yankees. In the third inning, Chisholm Jr. hit a solo home run. It was 6-2 Yankees. In the fourth inning, Stanton hit a three-run home run. Judge and Bellinger scored. It was 9-2. Then, Rice hit a solo home run, and it was 10-2 New York. In the sixth inning, Bellinger hit a two-run home run. Judge scored. It was 12-2 Yankees.

In the eighth inning, Magnum singled and Morel scored. It was 12-3, New York. In the ninth inning, Cabellero hit his second home run of the game. It was 13-3. That was the final score.

Conclusion

The playoffs loom for the Yanks, who have dramatically improved their playoff position by winning. New York has also benefited from losses by some of their close competition in the playoff race. They took advantage of a weak opponent, and they have been doing that against the Cardinals and Twins. People will say that New York can only beat bad teams. However, for a baseball team to make the playoffs, it needs to beat the teams they are scheduled to play. They must not look past the Tampa Bay Rays to their rival, the Boston Red Sox.