Yankees Hit Three Homers Off Clayton Kershaw to Win Series vs. Dodgers
LOS ANGELES — DJ LeMahieu, Aaron Judge and Mike Ford homered, Domingo Germán outdueled Clayton Kershaw for his major league-leading 17th win, and the New York Yankees defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 Sunday.
The Yankees set a major league record for most homers in a month with 61 in August. They slugged nine in taking two of three games in a series touted as a potential World Series preview to remain tied with Houston for the best record in the American League at 85-47.
Germán (17-3) allowed one run and four hits in 5 1/3 innings. The right-hander struck out five and walked two.
New York won its 11th straight game against a left-handed starter and is 25-14 versus lefties this season.
Kershaw (13-3) gave up three homers for the second straight game and has allowed 21 this season, second-most in his career. The left-hander allowed three runs and four hits in seven innings. He struck out a season-high 12 and walked none.
Kershaw had won 11 consecutive interleague decisions — tied for second-most all-time — and each of his last six decisions overall.
Ford extended the Yankees’ lead to 3-1 in the sixth, homering into the right field pavilion on the first pitch from Kershaw.
Ford’s RBI double to deep left field made it 4-1 in the eighth. He went 2 for 3 after entering as a pinch-hitter in the third after shortstop Didi Gregorius got hit by a pitch from Kershaw in the first and later left the game.
Judge, who wears No. 99, launched his 99th career homer in the third, snapping a 1-all tie.
He nearly reached the century mark with a runner on in the eighth. Judge sent a deep fly to center field that A.J. Pollock snagged with the sun in his eyes and his back hitting the wall.
The Dodgers tied it with Joc Pederson’s solo shot, his 26th, on Germán’s first pitch leading off the bottom of the first.
LeMahieu homered to start the game, sending a 1-1 pitch into center field where smoke billowed from a brushfire located 8 miles away. It was the seventh time Kershaw has given up a homer in the first this season.
In the third, Brett Gardner robbed Corey Seager of a potential three-run homer that would have put the Dodgers ahead. Instead, the Yankees center fielder made a grab at the wall to end the inning.
The series ended quietly after plenty of drama in the first two games.
The Yankees hit five homers — including a grand slam by Gregorius — to win the opener 10-2 Friday.
The Dodgers rebounded with a 2-1 victory Saturday after closer Kenley Jansen escaped a bases-loaded jam with consecutive strikeouts to end the game.
