New York Yankees Extend Undesirable League Lead in Blowout Loss to Tampa Bay Rays

The New York Yankees may have come out of the All-Star break with comfortable win Friday night, but their hopes were once again dashed Saturday afternoon.

Rookie first baseman Ben Rice led off Saturday's contest against the Tampa Bay Rays with a double, only for the Yankees to go hitless for the next six frames. By the time New York got another base hit, it was the eighth inning, and Tampa Bay had opened up an eight-run lead.

All the while, the Rays' lineup was feasting on the Yankees' pitchers, leading to an eventual 9-1 win for the home team.

Designated hitter Curtis Mead recorded an RBI double in the second, setting the stage for all the insurance Tampa Bay would soon rack up. Catcher Alex Jackson, who was starting in the No. 9 hole, broke the game open in the third inning with a two-out, three-run home run off of starter Nestor Cortes.

Alex Jackson makes it 4⃣ in the 4th pic.twitter.com/Uy2CM9XlTl
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) July 20, 2024

As noted by Sports Reference's Katie Sharp, that marked the 14th home run the Yankees' pitching staff had allowed to a No. 9 hitter this season. No team has given up more.

It wasn't as if New York ran into a lineup anomaly Saturday, either. The 28-year-old Jackson entered the game batting .082 with a .306 OPS and -0.5 WAR on the season, hitting just one home run in his previous 191 MLB plate appearances dating back to 2021.

Cortes, meanwhile, had a 3.67 ERA prior to Saturday's matinee showdown.

Yankees pitchers have allowed 14 HR to No. 9 batters this season. That's the most in MLB.
— Katie Sharp (@SharpStats17) July 20, 2024

Jackson wasn't the only Rays batter who would get to Cortes, whose ERA took a major hit by the end of the afternoon.

First baseman Isaac Paredes and left fielder Randy Arozarena each hit solo home runs in the top of the fifth, chasing Cortes off the mound. The former All-Star left-hander gave up six earned runs when it was all said and done, dropping to 4-9 on the season while his ERA climbed to 3.99.

Arozarena made sure the damage didn't stop there, though, blasting a 412-foot, two-run shot off of Josh Maciejewski in the seventh.

The Yankees are now 59-41 in 2024, still owning a 5.0-game cushion atop the AL Wild Card race. However, New York is an AL-worst 9-19 since June 15, compared to Tampa Bay's 16-12 record in that same stretch.

The series between the Yankees and Rays is now even through two games, with two more left on the slate. Game three is scheduled to start at 1:35 p.m. ET on Sunday.

It remains to be seen who bats ninth for Tampa Bay in their next game against the Yankees.

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