Aaron Judge hits walk-off home run as New York Yankees beat Tampa Bay Rays
Aaron Judge ended a career-worst 11-game streak without an RBI by hitting a dramatic ninth-inning walk-off home run to secure a 2-0 victory for the New York Yankees against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Drought ends in spectacular fashion
The towering outfielder struck a first-pitch sinker from Kevin Kelly into the right-centre field seats to claim his 17th blast of the season.
It was the American League MVP’s first home run since 10 May, snapping a dismal stretch that saw him manage just one hit in his previous 24 at-bats.
His crucial two-run drive broke a scoreless deadlock and brought an abrupt end to the fastest Yankees game of the current campaign.
Bellinger’s defensive brilliance
Before the late-game heroics, both pitching staffs dominated proceedings in an intense divisional battle.
New York starter Ryan Weathers and Tampa Bay counterpart Drew Rasmussen matched each other perfectly, both tossing seven flawless shutout innings.
However, the hosts relied on a phenomenal defensive play by left fielder Cody Bellinger in the eighth inning to preserve the stalemate.
The former National League MVP gunned down Junior Caminero at third base just moments before a decisive run could cross the plate.
Division race tightens
Sunday’s triumph held significant implications for the divisional standings, cutting the Rays’ lead at the top of the AL East to four and a half games.
The hard-fought victory also halted a three-game losing slump for the Bronx Bombers while simultaneously ending a five-game winning streak for their Floridian rivals.
Reliever Tim Hill ultimately earned the pitching win after successfully stranding two runners in the top half of the ninth inning.