Tampa Bay Rays vs New York Yankees Box Score on Sep 27, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Sep 27, 2017

NEW YORK -- Luis Severino pitched six effective innings as the New York Yankees blasted three homers in the bottom of the sixth inning and defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 6-1 Wednesday night.

Severino (14-6) allowed one run on four hits in his final start before a likely start in next Tuesday's wild-card game. He struck out nine, tying teammate CC Sabathia for the third-most strikeouts in a season in team history with 230.

The right-hander improved to 9-2 since the All-Star break and this was the 10th time in 14 starts since the break that Severino allowed one earned run or less. For the season, he had given up one earned run or less 17 times.

Starlin Castro and Greg Bird hit solo homers while Aaron Hicks slugged a two-run shot during a four-run sixth.

New York improved to 11-1 in its last 12 home games and 19-7 in its last 26 games overall. The Yankees (89-69) remained three games behind the Boston Red Sox for first place in the AL East.

The Yankees broke a three-way tie with the Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles and gained possession of the major league lead by upping their home run total to 235.

Aaron Judge hit a two-run double, increasing his RBI total to 111. He also drew two more walks, giving him 124 unintentional free passes.

Adeiny Hechavarria homered for the Rays (76-82), who clinched their fourth straight losing season.

Tampa Bay's Matt Andriese (5-5) allowed three runs and three hits in five-plus innings.

Neither team scored until Hechavarria opened the fifth by lifting a 1-2 pitch into the left field seats for his seventh homer.

The Yankees quickly answered as Judge lined an RBI double down the left field line for a 2-1 lead with one out in the fifth.

Castro opened the sixth by hitting a full-count offering from Andriese off a sign in the back of the Tampa Bay bullpen beyond the left-center field fence. It was his 16th homer and second in as many nights.

Four pitches later, Bird lined a 1-2 pitch from left-hander Xavier Cedeno into the right field seats. It was Bird's eighth homer and second in as many games.

Hicks made it 6-1 when he slugged a 3-1 pitch from Cedeno over the left-center field fence. It was his 14th homer.

NOTES: Yankees RF Aaron Judge made his ninth start of the season as the designated hitter. Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Judge would likely get one of the four remaining games off. ... Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said he could clearly hear the fan yelling out the location of C Wilson Ramos' glove during the eighth inning Tuesday on two pitches to C Gary Sanchez. "He was accurate," Cash said. "We heard it clear as day." ... Yankees 2B Starlin Castro homered in consecutive games for the third time this season. ... Tampa Bay LF Corey Dickerson saw his bat go flying into the last row of a field level section near the Yankee dugout in the second inning.