Gardner lifts Yanks over Mariners 3-2 in 11 for 4th straight

NEW YORK (AP) — Brett Gardner singled home the winning run with two outs in the 11th inning and the surging New York Yankees staged two late comebacks before beating the Seattle Mariners 3-2 on Friday night for their fourth straight victory.

Aaron Judge hit a tying sacrifice fly in the eighth and Giancarlo Stanton pulled the Yankees even again with a two-out single in the 10th. New York (60-49) has won seven of eight since the trade deadline to move a season-high 11 games over .500.

Relegated to a bullpen game after two starters tested positive for COVID-19 this week, the Yankees used nine pitchers — the most in franchise history for a game not played in September.

None of those pitchers went more than 1 2/3 innings, making New York the first major league team since 1900 to win in extra innings without having a pitcher throw at least two innings.

Albert Abreu (1-0) worked a scoreless 11th for the win.

With one out in the 11th, the Mariners intentionally walked Rougned Odor for the second time in three innings to face light-hitting catcher Kyle Higashioka. Keynan Middleton (0-2) struck out Higashioka before Gardner, who turns 38 this month, lined a 2-2 fastball into center field to score automatic runner Joey Gallo from second base.

It was the ninth career walk-off hit for Gardner, the longest-tenured Yankees player, and his first since July 2017.

Hitting just .199 this season, Gardner was mobbed by teammates on the dirt between first and second after ending a game that took 4 hours, 16 minutes.

Prior to the Yankees’ eighth walk-off win of the year, the clubs traded runs an inning earlier. J.P. Crawford put Seattle ahead 2-1 with an RBI single off Chad Green in the top of the 10th.

Stanton tied it in the bottom half when he fisted a soft single to center off reliever...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Gardner-lifts-Yanks-over-Mariners-3-2-in-11-for-16371147.php