Baltimore – It’s a memorable way to cap off a long road trip.
Ben Rice launched a grand slam in the 10th inning, propelling the Orioles to a convincing 7-1 victory at Camden Yards on Sunday afternoon.
This impressive hit marked his fourth contribution of the series against the Yankees, securing a win on the day the bullpen delivered a solid performance.
The thrilling game wrapped up the Yankees’ road trip with a 7-3 record (88-68).
As they prepare for the final home stretch of the season, they’ll take on the Blue Jays, who hold the tiebreaker, in six games over the next two series. Both teams are scheduled to play on Sunday night, vying for the top wildcard position, with the Red Sox trailing by at least two games and the Astros behind by three.
Judge Aaron sparked the 10th inning by drawing a walk, leading to the bases being loaded after Rice’s powerful left-field hit, reminiscent of Cody Bellinger.
Rice faced a 1-2 count, then blasted a 95-mph fastball from Akin deep into the stands, marking his 24th home run of the season and thrilling a packed house of 31,974 Yankees fans.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. made his presence felt, while Anthony Volpe added an RBI single.
The Yankees had their chances to take the lead in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings, but stranded seven runners during that stretch.
Luckily, their bullpen stepped up: Luke Weaver escaped a jam in the seventh, Devin Williams struck out the side in the eighth, and David Bednar secured a two-out situation in the ninth.
Kamilo Doval wrapped things up in the bottom of the 10th, facing some pressure before loading the bases, sending the Yankees into their final off-day of the regular season with high spirits.
Cam Schlittler bolstered his case for being the Yankees’ third starter in the playoffs, allowing just one run over 5 1/3 innings, with one walk and six strikeouts.
The solo run Schlittler surrendered came on the first pitch of the fifth inning.
The Yankees clawed back to tie it in the sixth, with Trent Grisham drawing a walk before Kyle Bradish hit Judge on the right elbow with a sinker. Rice followed, slamming a sinking liner that dropped just in front of Dylan Carlson in left field, driving in Grisham to equalize.
However, later in the game, Carlson stifled the Yankees’ attempt to take the lead. Jasson Domínguez sent a fly ball toward the left-center gap, but Carlson made an impressive catch just before the wall, thwarting the scoring threat.
