September 21 – Juan Soto, who missed the start because of a knee injury, hit a three-run double in the 10th inning to give the New York Yankees a 4–0 lead over the host Oakland Athletics on Friday in a three-game series they lost 2 games to 1.
The Yankees (90-64) maintain a four-game lead over the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East. New York’s magic number to win the division has dropped to five with eight games remaining.
New York starter Gerrit Cole threw a season-high nine innings and allowed only one run.
With both teams scoreless after the fifth inning, the Yankees called on Oakland’s sixth pitcher, T.J. McFarland (2-4), in the 10th inning. Anthony Rizzo’s single and a pass from A’s catcher Shea Langeliers advanced automatic runner Jason Dominguez.
Soto, who was injured Thursday in Seattle when he slid into the outfield fence while catching a ball, hit a two-run homer to left-center off pinch-runner Osvaldo Cabrera to make the score 3–1. Anthony Volpe had an RBI single to Jon Berti, who came in to score Soto.
Luke Weaver gave up an RBI single to J.J. Blades in the bottom of the 10th inning, then struck out the next three batters, both representing potential ties, for his third save. That sealed the win for Cole (7-5), who was taken out after 99 pitches.
Cole, a California native who last started in Oakland before the Athletics moved to Sacramento next season, improved to 5-0 in his career at the Coliseum. He pitched after the sixth inning for the first time this year and allowed just two hits, one walk and seven strikeouts.
At the start of the game, both teams scored one point each and the score remained tied at 1-1, which continued till the 10th minute.
Oakland (67-87) trailed first and took the lead in the fourth when Lawrence Butler got the first hit for the hosts. He scored on a one-out steal and a two-out RBI single by Langeliers.
It didn’t take long for the Yankees to tie the game. Rizzo hit a two-out single in the fifth inning, scoring on Trent Grisham’s single and Volpe’s single.
Looking for his first major league win, A’s starter J.T. Ginn was replaced after the fifth inning, having limited the Yankees to one run and four hits. He struck out four and gave up one run.
Volpe had three singles and two RBIs for the Yankees, who beat the A’s 8–3. Aaron Judge was 0-for-3 with a hit and a strikeout.
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