After taking two of three from the Braves, the Yankees enjoyed a day off on Monday before welcoming the Mariners into town. It was a mostly full day of baseball beyond them, with plenty of important games coming down to the ninth inning and beyond. Between never-before-seen calls and extra innings, let’s take a look at how things shook out around the American League.
Tampa Bay Rays (72-46) 10, Oakland Athletics (47-72) 6
A ninth inning rally had the Rays in business and then some on Monday against
the A’s. With New York taking the day off, they worked hard to earn the free half-game.
The action was apparent from the get-go, as the A’s were up 2-1 after the first inning. Both Jacob Lopez and new Ray Freddy Peralta would settle in following the early noise, working seven and six innings, respectively. Already up a run, the Athletics seemed to take control in the seventh, when doubles from Zack Gelof and Jacob Wilson helped to put them up 6-2.
That control only lasted until the Rays came to the plate next. Down by four, Tampa Bay flipped the game upside-down with an eight-piece in their half of the eighth. Unsurprisingly, Junior Caminero was right in the middle of things with a three-run homer, his 34th on the season.
Continuing to put runners on, the Rays tied the game with a single from Chandler Simpson, and took the lead on another from Taylor Walls. Throw in some insurance runs from the top of their order, and the Rays were suddenly up by a score of 10-6. After falling behind for much of this game, it had suddenly flipped into a major win for the Rays out west.
Other Games
Toronto Blue Jays (57-63) 2, Boston Red Sox (64-54) 1: In a game that the Blue Jays won, thanks in part to Charles McAdoo’s solo homer, Boston’s lone run was the story of the game. In the seventh, the Red Sox scored a run on a player that failed to tag up from third base, because the Blue Jays made the third out on a different runner, and failed to appeal the other runner, deemed a “timing play.” It was a once-in-a-lifetime circumstance, but water under the bridge nonetheless, as the Jays took this one despite the drama.
Houston Astros (60-59) 6, San Francisco Giants (49-79) 3 (10 innings): The Astros and Giants found themselves in extra innings on Monday. Things remained quiet for much of this game, thanks in large part to San Fran starter Blade Tidwell’s solid day on the mound. Houston struck first, but the Giants clawed back thanks to homers from Jung Hoo Lee and Drew Gilbert. After completing nine innings knotted at three, the Astros took charge in their half of the tenth, thanks to RBI from Jeremy Peña and Isaac Paredes.
Texas Rangers (59-59) 4, Los Angeles Angels (45-73) 1 (10 innings): Not unlike their counterparts in the Lone Star state, the Rangers took a win in 10 innings to open up their week. Mike Trout’s 20th homer of the season and a RBI knock from Elias Díaz had this game squared up after regulation. In the Texas half of the tenth, singles from Brandon Nimmo and Jake Burger were the fuel that pushed them past the Angels in a hard-fought AL West battle. For Texas, Mackenzie Gore also racked up nine Ks in his 5.1 innings of solid work.
