It is clear that when DJ is in the mix the Yankees play well. And Yankees really needed a win last night. DJ LeMahieu answered the call as he stepped right back into the lineup following a stint on the IL and served up two home runs to opposite sides of the field. As Jack Curry, said, "LeMahieu is the stabilizer," as the Yankees beat the Rays 5-3 at the Stadium, breaking the losing streak against their AL nemesis.
"We really needed this win tonight, we really did," said LeMahieu in his post game interview with Meredith Marakovits. LeMahieu also called out the contributions of his teammates Luke Voit and Gio Urshela, which added to the Yankees' ability to overcome the Rays.
"The Yankees have been searching for sparks that would reverse their fortunes against the Rays, who have owned the upper hand in most of their head-to-head showdowns. DJ LeMahieu and Gio Urshela may have provided exactly what they needed," reported Brian Hoch.
Urshela's heads up base running and LeMahieu's good piece of hitting made all the difference in the game, that and Tanaka's stellar performance on the mound gave the Yankees just what they needed to take down the Rays.
"Masahiro Tanaka threw a season-high 88 pitches over six sharp innings, limiting Tampa Bay to Kiermaier’s two-run homer in the fifth inning while scattering three hits. Tanaka walked one and struck out seven," reported Hoch.
The drama between these two teams kicked up early when Tanaka sent a message to the Rays in the first inning as he drilled one inside to Joey Wendle. Later, in the 9th, it was Aroldis Chapman who threw a 100-mph fast ball up and in. The benches cleared after the final out which set the tone for tonight's final game of the series. Let's hope that the Yankees, led by LeMahieu, can hold down the Rays for another game and inch their way back into first place.
--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof
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