Yankees Rally in Ninth to Edge Angels

NEW YORK (Interstat) — José Caballero lined a two-run double into the gap in center field with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning Wednesday night, capping a dramatic comeback that lifted the New York Yankees to a 5-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels at Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees, who had been held to just three hits since the second inning, rallied against Angels closer Jordan Romano to erase a one-run deficit and snap a two-game skid. The walk-off win improved New York’s record to 10-8, while the Angels fell to 9-10.

The most important part of the game was the final half-inning, a sequence that saw the Yankees capitalize on a soft hit, a patient plate appearance, and a clutch swing to steal a victory they had trailed for most of the night.

Entering the ninth trailing 4-3, the Yankees saw Giancarlo Stanton line out sharply to left. Jazz Chisholm Jr. then sparked the rally with a single that popped out of the glove of a leaping Angels third baseman Oswald Peraza. Catcher Austin Wells worked a walk after a successful Yankees challenge on a pitch-tracking call, putting the winning run on base.

Caballero, who had walked and grounded into a double play earlier, then drove a 1-2 offering from Romano deep to center field. Mike Trout gave chase but could not make the catch. Chisholm scored easily to tie the game, and Wells raced around from first, sliding home just ahead of the relay throw to send the crowd of 41,019 into a frenzy.

The comeback made a winner of Yankees reliever David Bednar, who struck out two in a perfect top of the ninth to earn his first victory of the season. Romano was charged with the loss, his second, after surrendering two runs on two hits and a walk while recording only one out.

For seven innings, the story was Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz. The right-hander delivered a strong outing, allowing three runs on four hits over 6 2/3 innings. He walked three and struck out six, effectively neutralizing the Yankees’ lineup after a rocky start.

New York struck first against him in the opening inning when Aaron Judge launched a solo home run, his seventh of the season, into the right-field seats. They added two more in the second. After walks to Chisholm and Caballero, Trent Grisham singled sharply to left, scoring both runners to give the Yankees a 3-0 lead.

Los Angeles chipped away in the third on Adam Frazier’s solo homer to right-center. They then seized the lead with a three-run fifth inning off Yankees starter Luis Gil. Logan O’Hoppe led off the frame with a homer to left-center. After a walk to Zach Neto, Mike Trout connected for a two-run shot to right-center, his sixth of the year, putting the Angels ahead 4-3.

Gil lasted five innings, yielding four runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out five. From there, the Yankees bullpen took over, with Tim Hill, Fernando Cruz, Brent Headrick, and Bednar combining for four scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and striking out four.

The Angels bullpen was nearly as sharp. Drew Pomeranz retired all four batters he faced in relief of Kochanowicz, bridging the game to Romano. The Angels offense, however, could not add to its lead, going 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and hitting into two double plays.

The victory gave the Yankees the series win after the teams split the first two games of the set. They will conclude their four-game series Thursday afternoon. The Angels will head home to open a series with San Diego on Friday, while the Yankees will welcome Kansas City to the Bronx.

According to Interstat, the game’s final result defied its simulator, which had projected a 5-4 Angels victory, though the Yankees entered as heavy favorites with a 70.2% win probability per its ELO rating system.

The game was played in a brisk 2 hours, 23 minutes.