Ben Rice hit a grand slam before an out was recorded in the 10th inning as the New York Yankees pulled out a 7-1 victory against the host Baltimore Orioles on Sunday afternoon.
Rice’s 24th homer of the season came off lefty Keegan Akin to break a tie. Rice, a left-handed batter, finished 4-for-5 with five RBIs, accounting for nearly half of the Yankees’ 10 hits. They had only five hits through nine innings.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. smacked his 31st home run of the season with a solo shot later in the 10th, and Anthony Volpe added a run-scoring single.
The Yankees (88-68) won three of four games in the series as they stayed in the American League East race, two games behind the first-place Toronto Blue Jays.
Samuel Basallo homered for the Orioles (73-83).
David Bednar (6-5) was the winning pitcher with one scoreless inning, improving to 4-0 since joining the Yankees this summer. Cam Schlittler lasted 5 1/3 innings in his start for New York. He was charged with one run on three hits with a walk and six strikeouts.
The Yankees wasted no time in the 10th, which began with Trent Grisham on second base. Aaron Judge walked and Cody Bellinger singled to load the bases for Rice, whose blast went to right-center field.
Orioles starter Kyle Bradish worked six innings, allowing one run on two hits, striking out nine and walking two. Kade Strowd (0-1), who began the 10th on the mound, took the loss.
Basallo smacked his fourth home run in the fifth inning.
The Yankees pulled even in the sixth on Rice’s two-out single before stranding two runners in the seventh.
The Orioles loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh, but reliever Luke Weaver escaped when Jackson Holliday grounded out.
After the first two batters in the eight were returned, the Yankees threatened with Rice’s double, Jasson Dominguez’s infield single and an intentional walk to Chisholm. That threat was dashed when Rico Garcia retired Jose Caballero on a fielder’s choice grounder.
Then six consecutive batters struck out in the bottom of the eighth and top of ninth combined. Through nine innings, the teams combined to strike out 27 times (and 30 times total).
The teams will reconvene in New York on Friday through Sunday to conclude the regular season.
