The New York Yankees broke open a tight game with a five-run seventh inning and pulled away for a 9-3 victory over the Houston Astros on Wednesday night. With the game tied 3-3, Cody Bellinger delivered the biggest hit of the night.
The Yankees outfielder lined a 1-1 fastball from Bennett Sousa with the bases loaded off the top of the center-field fence, scoring Trent Grisham and Ben Rice and giving New York a 5-3 lead. The rally began when Luis García Jr. reached on an infield single after Sousa failed to cover first base in time on a grounder to the right side.
Spencer Jones followed with an RBI single, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. added a run-scoring double as the Yankees continued to add to their advantage. Chisholm finished with three hits, marking his third three-hit game of the season. He also singled twice and continued to provide a spark in the Yankees’ lineup.
Rice gave New York an early lead with his 35th home run in the first inning. The blast moved him within one homer of Houston slugger Yordan Alvarez for the American League lead and marked the first time in 24 games that the Yankees scored in the opening inning.
García added the finishing touch in the eighth inning with a two-run homer. He collected three more hits after going 4-for-5 in Tuesday night’s loss, continuing his productive series against Houston.
New York’s offense helped rookie right-hander Elmer Rodríguez earn the win after he allowed three runs and three hits over six-plus innings. It was Rodríguez’s first major league start since June 21.
Rodríguez was removed after walking Jose Altuve to begin the seventh. The Astros tied the game against Paul Blackburn when Christian Walker’s grounder caromed off the glove of rookie shortstop George Lombard Jr., who committed his sixth error in just 19 career games.
Blackburn recovered from the defensive mistake by striking out Jeremy Peña with the bases loaded to keep the game tied. He eventually earned the victory, improving to 6-2. Michael Fulmer also made his Yankees debut and immediately made an impact, striking out Alvarez to begin a 1-2-3 eighth inning.
Houston’s offense was led by Altuve, who drove in a run with a double, while Daulton Varsho homered against Rodríguez. Alvarez singled in the sixth inning and finished the night batting a major league-best .322. Astros starter Peter Lambert surrendered three runs, two earned, and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings.
The victory was another important one for New York, which improved to 75-57 and has now won 11 of its last 17 games. The Yankees remained 3 1/2 games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East while maintaining a 2 1/2-game cushion over Boston for the league’s top wild-card position. Houston fell to 66-67 after losing for the 10th time in its last 16 games.
For the Yankees, Wednesday’s victory showcased the type of late-game offensive firepower that could prove critical down the stretch. After Houston battled back to tie the game, New York responded with timely hitting, aggressive baserunning and a powerful finish to secure another important win in the American League playoff race.
