The Yankees had the day off on Labor Day, but much of the league was still in action. Fortunately for them, the Reds did them some favors against the Blue Jays, while the Red Sox remained hot on their tail with a win against Cleveland. Here’s a look at what went down on a relatively full Monday of action.
Houston Astros (76-62) 8, Los Angeles Angels (64-73) 3
The Astros scored in six different innings against the Angels to take home an easy victory on Monday. Their offense began their attack in the second
inning, the first of five in a row in which they scored a single run. A homer and another RBI knock later on from Ramón Urías played a big role, while Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, and Jeremy Peña all contributed with RBI hits of their own during that stretch.
The Angels actually took a brief lead in the fourth inning, when Zach Neto and Jo Adell both homered, but the consistent Houston offense was ultimately too much to handle. Luis Garcia did well enough on the mound for the Astros, as he allowed three runs over his six innings of work, striking out six. The ‘Stros now hold a three game lead in the West.
Boston Red Sox (76-62) 6, Cleveland Guardians (68-68) 4
An odd barrage of scoring fueled the Red Sox to their win against the Guardians in Fenway. It began when Roman Anthony trotted home thanks to a balk from Parker Messick on the mound, which helped Boston to a two-run first inning. Cleveland fought back immediately to take a short-lived 3-2 lead however, with timely singles form C.J. Kayfus and Brayan Rocchio in the second.
Trevor Story tied things up with an RBI single in the third, before Boston took the lead two innings later on Carlos Narváez’s single through the right side. Some insurance, and more of that odd scoring, came in the sixth, when Trevor Story popped a ball toward the Pesky Pole in right. The ball first hit the right fielder’s glove, before hitting the pole, and ultimately being ruled a one-of-a-kind home run for the Boston shortstop.
The Sox were able to hold on to their lead to the end, with newly extended Aroldis Chapman closing the door with yet another scoreless inning in the ninth. The Red Sox and Yankees are now both 2.5 games back in the East.
Cincinnati Reds (70-68) 5, Toronto Blue Jays (79-59) 4
Despite taking a lead in the ninth inning on the road, the Blue Jays suffered a killer loss in Cincy on Monday afternoon.
The Reds took the first lead thanks to Ke’Bryan Hayes’ two-run double in the second inning, creating a 2-0 lead that held for much of the game. Both Hunter Greene and Chris Bassitt were solid in their six-plus innings of work, though the Jays finally made their move once the Reds dug into the Bullpen.
Toronto was down 2-1 headed into their half of the ninth, setting the stage for a dramatic comeback. After Vlad Guerrero Jr. singled, Bo Bichette gave the Jays a sudden lead when he belted a two-run homer into the seats in left-center. In the very next at-bat, Daulton Varsho extended their lead with a blast of his own.
With their backs now up against the wall, the Reds trailed 4-2 headed into the bottom of the ninth. After Hayes and Matt McLain singled, TJ Friedl seemingly tied the game up with a double down the right field line, but the ball lodged in the corner, and was ruled an automatic double, keeping McLain at third. Not to worry, Noelvi Marte singled into left field, walking off the Jays in one of their more dramatic wins of the year — one that could help the Yankees a great deal.
New York Mets (74-64) 10, Detroit Tigers (80-59) 8
After 18 runs and 22 hits, the Tigers took a loss at home by the time the dust settled. A couple of big innings from the Mets paved the way for their win, as Juan Soto enjoyed a big day in Detroit.
Trailing 2-1 in the third inning, the Tigers took the lead when Wenceel Pérez belted his 12th homer of the season, a two-run shot off of Sean Manaea. Now fighting from behind, the Mets got it all back and then some when Juan Soto teed off on a grand slam in the fourth inning, the 36th homer of his first season in Queens.
Soto contributed again in the sixth, when his triple plated two more runs to break a 6-6 tie. Jahmai Jones had four hits for Detroit, but their eight runs on 14 total hits was not enough to keep up with the Mets’ ten-run output, six of which came off the bat of Soto.
Other Games
- Tampa Bay Rays (68-69) 10, Seattle Mariners (73-65) 2: The Rays took an easy one from the M’s on Monday. They scored five runs in the first three innings, thanks in large part to Nick Fortes’ three-run shot in the second. They scored five more in the later stages of this game, while Shane Baz tossed six scoreless innings on the mound. The Mariners are now three games back in the West.
![The Mets try to put a tiger in their tank against the [checks notes] Tigers](https://glance-mob.glance-cdn.com/public/cardpress/binge-magazine-card-generation/spaces/US/en/sb-nation/images/ppid_2cf3d240-image-175673583043898182.webp)
