The New York Yankees forced a decisive fifth game in their American League Division series against the Tampa Bay Rays at Petco Park, winning 5-1 Thursday.
First baseman Luke Voit opened the scoring with a second-inning home run. Second baseman DJ LeMahieu followed with a sacrifice fly to score Brett Gardner.
The score remained 2-1 until the sixth when shortstop Gleyber Torres familiarized himself with a San Diego landmark. His two-run homer off the Western Metal Supply Building brought in Gardner.
The Yankees added an insurance run in the eighth.The Rays’ lone run scored on a Brandon Lowe ground out in the third.
Gley puttin’ it down for Californ-i-a. pic.twitter.com/pZWIDlTkPN
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 9, 2020
Chad Green got the win, while Ryan Thompson took the loss. Aroldis Chapman recorded the save.
The teams, which have yet to set their starters, conclude their series at 4:10 p.m. Friday in a game airing on TBS. They are playing in Petco Park part of the baseball plan to use neutral sites in the playoffs during the pandemic.
Baseball will continue at Petco Sunday when the AL Championship Series begins. The Houston Astros will play the winner of the Yankees-Rays clash at Petco after taking their own series over the Oakland Athletics in Los Angeles, 3 games to 1.
– Staff reports