Yankees night at St Petersburg after jaw dropping win over Rays

Gio Urshela hit a go-ahead, two-run, bases-loaded single in the sixth inning, and the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 Friday night at St. Petersburg, Fla., in the first meeting of the season between the teams. The Yankees won for the 17th time in 23 games. The Rays dropped to 1-7 in one-run games this year. The teams meet twice more this weekend, starting their 19-game season series.

After hitting a two-run single in the eighth inning Thursday against the Seattle Mariners, Urshela gave the Yankees a 4-3 lead Friday by hitting a 2-2 breaking ball from Emilio Pagan into left field. Urshela's latest clutch hit occurred after the Yankees opened the inning with singles by Gary Sanchez and Clint Frazier against Rays starter Tyler Glasnow. Sanchez's hit caromed off the high "A-Ring" on the roof and landed in front of Tampa Bay shortstop Willy Adames.

Gleyber Torres struck out before Glasnow exited due to right forearm tightness. Pagan entered and gave up a single to Miguel Andujar, loading the bases for Urshela. Austin Meadows hit a two-run homer for Tampa Bay in his return from a right thumb injury. Meadows tied the game at 2-2 with one out in the fifth, and two batters later, Ji-Man Choi homered to put the Rays ahead.

New York's Domingo German (7-1) became the first seven-game winner in the majors after his five-inning outing. He allowed three runs on five hits, struck out five, walked two and threw 84 pitches. Glasnow (6-1) gave up four runs (three earned) on five hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out nine and walked two.

Glasnow allowed two runs in the first on a bases-loaded passed ball by catcher Nick Ciuffo that scored DJ LeMahieu during an at-bat by Torres, who followed with a check-swing RBI single. Andujar grounded into a double play to end the inning, and Glasnow allowed only one more baserunner until the fifth.

New York's Tommy Kahnle pitched a perfect sixth, and Adam Ottavino escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the seventh by striking out Tommy Pham and getting Choi to ground into a double play. Zack Britton pitched a scoreless eighth. Aroldis Chapman struck out Meadows to cap a scoreless ninth and post his ninth save in 10 chances.

The Yankees loaded the bases in the first on an error, a walk and an infield single by Sanchez, and they took a 1-0 lead when Glasnow's fastball sailed to the backstop off Ciuffo's glove. Two pitches later, Torres singled to right field to make it 2-0. 

(With inputs from agencies.)