Cam Schlittler nearly achieved a perfect game in his seventh Major League start, retiring the first 18 Tampa Bay Rays batters he faced at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Wednesday. The New York Yankees ultimately secured their fifth consecutive win with a 6-4 victory over the Rays, thanks to key late-game performances.
Giancarlo Stanton played a decisive role after coming off the bench in extra innings. With the score tied following a two-run double by Hunter Feduccia in the ninth inning, Stanton hit a two-run home run against Pete Fairbanks in the tenth. Austin Wells also contributed with his second homer of the game.
“It’s been a great road trip,” Stanton said. “We’ve been hitting the ball hard, hitting the ball in the air, getting a lot of homers. Timely hitting. We’re clicking on a lot of cylinders. So it’s good to take this into the weekend.”
The Yankees improved their record to 69-57 after sweeping both the Cardinals and Rays on this road trip and now prepare for an upcoming series against the Boston Red Sox.
Stanton’s approach as a pinch-hitter has changed over time, which has led to greater success when coming off the bench. “The idea and the mindset is usually there. It’s just a matter of clicking and doing the rest,” Stanton said. “There’s always adjustments you can do smarter and better as the years go. It’s just applying. It’s about executing your plan more often.”
Manager Aaron Boone praised Stanton’s preparation: “He’s so good at the mental game now, preparing and knowing how to do it,” Boone said. “He has tremendous self-awareness of who he is as a hitter now. He’s an animal.”
Since returning from injury on June 16, Stanton has posted strong numbers: 15 home runs and 40 RBIs while batting .311 over 46 games.
Aaron Judge highlighted Stanton’s readiness: “The guy is one of the most focused players I’ve ever seen,” Judge said. “He was locked in, dialed in. Doesn’t matter if he hasn’t had an at-bat all night. He was going to be ready for his moment. He came up big.”
Schlittler lost his bid for perfection when Chandler Simpson singled to center field leading off the seventh inning but finished with career highs: 6 2/3 innings pitched, one hit allowed, eight strikeouts—all personal bests for him as a rookie starter.
“Even when he got the hit, I didn’t really care too much,” Schlittler said. “I’m trying to focus on the next guy. The biggest thing is that we won and put the team in a good position to win.“
Boone described Schlittler’s outing as dominant: “The stuff was overwhelming; probably the best breaking ball he’s had all year, to go with the big fastball,” Boone said.
Trent Grisham and Austin Wells each homered twice during this series against Tampa Bay, contributing to New York tying a Major League record (since 1901) for most home runs (14) by one team across two games—a mark previously set by Cincinnati in 1999.
“They’re on a heater,” said Rays pitcher Drew Rasmussen regarding New York’s offensive surge.
Devin Williams recorded his first save since July 29 after pitching through trouble in extra innings.
“We’ve been playing our game these past couple of series,” Judge added later about recent team performance.“We’ll stay locked in on that, control what we can control, and take care of business.”
