Yankees hit nine homers to beat Rays, tie franchise record

The New York Yankees launched a power display, slugging nine home runs in a single game to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 13-3, tying the franchise single-game record for homers. The surge included Aaron Judge’s 40th homer of the season and featured two-homer efforts from Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton, along with a first-game back in pinstripes two-HR night from José Caballero. The outburst, delayed nearly two hours by rain, reinforced the Yankees’ reputation for formidable offense and boosted their standing in the crowded postseason race.

In a first inning that set the tone, Judge delivered a 429-foot shot to center four batters into the game, followed by Bellinger’s 381-foot drive to right and Stanton’s 386-foot shot to right-center. The sequence, described by the manager as three “really good statement at-bats,” instantly put New York up 3-0 and underscored the depth of the lineup. The night soon grew even more prolific as Caballero, Dean Baker, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. contributed their own swings, with Caballero delivering two homers in his first game back with the Yankees after being traded from the Rays at the deadline.

Carlos Rodón earned the win for New York, limiting the...