T.C.B.

Teams Taking Care of Business

THE YANKEES NINE

The Yankees 9, the Rays 0. That wasn’t the score of the game; that was the homer count. The Yankees became the first team in MLB history to hit 9+ homers in a game while allowing none as they topped the Rays by a score of Yankees 13, Rays 3. After waiting through a one-hour, 55-minute rain delay, the first pitch of this game began at 9:30 p.m. Then, in the first seven pitches, Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Giancarlo Stanton hit back-to-back-to-back to start the game. Bellinger, Stanton, and José Caballero each hit two homers. Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Ben Rice also hit dingers, as the Yankees beat up their lesser opponent for their fourth straight win. With the Red Sox and Mariners both losing, the Yankees (68-57) are now the first AL wild card, by themselves, leading both teams by a game, and for the first time since August 1, the Yankees are back in second place in the AL East, trailing the Blue Jays by five games.

Here are some of the facts from this batting display:

• The nine homers tied a Yankees franchise record set earlier this season against the Brewers.

• The Yankees are now the first team in MLB history to record multiple nine-homer games in a single season.

• For the third time this season (March 29 and April 29, all in the 1st inning), the Yankees went back-to-back-to-back. The Yankees joined the 2024 Dodgers and 1982 Brewers as the only teams to hit back-to-back-to-back homers at least three times in one season.

• Aaron Judge now has 40 homers for the fourth time in his career. He is the fourth Yankee to do that, along with Babe Ruth (11), Lou Gehrig (five), and Mickey Mantle (four).

  • Babe Ruth: 1920-21, 1923-24, 1926-32

    Lou Gehrig: 1927, 1930-31, 1934, 1936

    Mickey Mantle: 1956, 1958, 1960-61

    Aaron Judge: 2017, 2022, 2024-25

• Giancarlo Stanton now has hit 13 home runs in his last 29 games and he played right field again.

• Bellinger, Stanton, and Caballero each hit two homers. It was the second time that the Yankees had three players with two homers in a game. The first was on May 30, 1961, when Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, and Bill Skowron did it against the Red Sox at Fenway.

THE METS TOOK CARE OF BUSINESS

David Peterson is the Mets' workhorse, and that is indeed a compliment. Last night, he pitched eight sterling innings as the Mets won their third straight game and topped the Nationals, 8-1. Peterson pitched into the 8th inning for the fifth time this season, a feat that no other Mets starter has done this season. Mark Vientos, Brett Baty, Juan Soto, and Jeff McNeil all homered for the Mets. NY has won six of eight against the Nationals this season and will play them five more times this season. They will need those wins, as they still have to face the Phillies, Tigers, Cubs, Padres, and Reds for 19 of their final 37 games. Pete Alonso was the only member of the Mets starting lineup without a hit. New York has scored 55 runs over their last eight games. McNeil is 8-17 with a homer and two doubles in his past four games. The Mets’ primary catcher is out for at least the next couple of weeks. Francisco Alvarez sustained a UCL sprain in his right thumb sliding into second base on Sunday and will be shut down for 10-14 days before the Mets determine whether he can play through the pain or if he’ll need season-ending surgery.