Yankees 6-1 Rays (July 20, 2024) Game Recap

NEW YORK — — Gerrit Cole struck out eight batters in six strong innings, Juan Soto went 4-for-4 as the New York Yankees defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 6-1 on Friday night.

Cole (3-1), making his sixth start since returning from a right elbow injury June 20, allowed one run and six hits on a night when fans received a promotional bobblehead of the 33-year-old right-handed pitcher holding his Cy Young Award. He surrendered one hit and threw 103 pitches to reach 100 for the second straight time.

“I had a little bit of everything going on and once we got a lead, I started attacking the zone,” said Cole, who is 3-0 with a 2.95 ERA in his last four games.

“Just a great way to come out of the All-Star break and set the tone for us, with our ace going out and giving up one run in six innings to set the tone for us,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I thought he was sharp and I thought he had a lot of different ways to get you out tonight.”

Soto reached base five times and continued his personal run against Tampa Bay starter Zach Eflin (5-7) with three hits, including a bunt single in New York’s four-run third and a double in the inning when he scored on two Rays errors. Soto is hitting .500 (17 for 34) against Eflin, whom he faced frequently when the right-handed pitcher was with the Phillies and he was with Washington.

“I don’t know,” Soto said of his success with Eflin. “I just see mistakes. So I think he made a few mistakes and I just crushed him.”

Soto had his fourth hit of the game, leading off the sixth with a double by Shawn Armstrong. He scored on an RBI single by Aaron Judge.

Soto had his second four-hit game since joining the Yankees from the Padres in December. It was the right fielder’s ninth career four-hit game, and his average rose from .295 to .303. In his first chance at a fifth hit, Soto walked in the eighth.

“It’s worth the price of admission, at the very least,” Cole said. “What a great hitter. And then even in the last at-bat, not giving up and staying disciplined with his approach and seeing good pitches. The fact that two balls get hit to the other field and he drops a bunt. He’s got it all.”

It marked the 60th time that Soto reached base multiple times, tied with Judge for the most in the majors.

“He was at it all night,” Boone said.

Anthony Volpe doubled in the fourth inning against Eflin to clear the bases, his first multi-hit game since June 28.

The Yankees took a 1-0 lead on an Alex Verdugo grounder after two walks and a bunt single by Soto that loaded the bases. After Austin Wells kept the inning going with a walk, Volpe hit a 1-2 curveball down the left field line for a 4-0 lead.

Soto had his third hit in the fourth, a double to the warning track in left-center. Left fielder Randy Arozarena dropped the ball, allowing Soto to take third, and Soto scored on a throwing error by second baseman Richie Palacios.

Brandon Lowe homered in the sixth for the Rays, who went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Tampa Bay is 1-for-41 with runners in scoring position in its last four games.

“Gerrit is really Cole, good,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. “We’ve seen him for many seasons now. He seems to get better when guys get on base.”

Eflin allowed five runs, four earned, and seven hits in five innings. The 30-year-old righty struck out five and tied a career high by walking four.

“I missed a half inch, an inch,” Eflin said. “They gave me some good ABs and capitalized when they needed to.”

COLE AND THE PITCH CLOCK

Cole also avoided being ejected in the second inning after getting into an altercation with plate umpire Quinn Wolcott, who charged him with a pitch clock violation for taking too long to warm up.

Cole got into a brief heated exchange with Wolcott before Boone stepped in. After the foul, he fell behind 3-0 before taking out Josh Lowe.

“Honestly, I don’t think I gave him a chance to talk,” Cole said. “I didn’t agree with it and I lost my cool and honestly, I don’t think Quinn did either and I’m thankful he kept me in the game.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rays: 3B Yandy Díaz missed the game due to personal reasons. … RHP Jeffrey Springs (elbow) will start Saturday for Triple-A Durham. … RHP Drew Rasmussen (elbow) will start Sunday for Triple-A Durham.

Yankees: DH Giancarlo Stanton (left hamstring strain) ran the bases and hit in the cage. … INF Jon Berti (left calf sprain) suffered a minor setback and will receive a platelet-rich plasma injection Saturday. … RHP Clarke Schmidt (right lat sprain) will throw 15 to 20 pitches from a mound Saturday.

NEXT ONE

Tampa Bay RHP Taj Bradley (4-4, 2.90 ERA) will face New York LHP Nestor Cortes (4-8, 3.67) on Saturday afternoon.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb