ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Sunday started well for the Rays, as Brent Honeywell made a successful big-league debut with two perfect innings.
But it ended badly, as they lost 8-4 to the Yankees in 10 innings.
The Yankees won it against Collin McHugh, the sixth Tampa Bay pitcher.
Aaron Hicks reached to open the inning when a replay challenge showed he was hit by a pitch, putting two on (teams start extra innings with a runner on second) with no outs. A bunt moved the runners up. The Rays got the second out when shortstop Willy Adames fielded Gleyber Torres’ grounder and threw home.
But new Yankee Rougned Odor blooped a single to center that dropped in front of Brett Phillips to score Hicks and put New York ahead. Gary Sanchez singled in another run, and a hit by Gio Urshela that rightfielder Manuel Margot misplayed made it 8-4.
In winning Friday and Saturday, the Rays assured a fifth straight series win over the rival Yankees. Sunday, they were looking for a sweep.
The Yankees had a chance to win in the top of the ninth when Urshela doubled on a ball deflected by shortstop Willy Adames and Brett Gardner walked. Rays reliever Diego Castillo got DJ LeMahieu to ground to third and rookie Kevin Padlo got the force out, but he bounced a throw that first baseman Yoshi Tsutsugo couldn’t handle.
That put Yankees on second and third with Aaron Judge up, but the Rays got a break. A Castillo pitch bounced away from catcher Mike Zunino, but he recovered and Gardner was caught off third. Judge then grounded out.
The Rays had a slight chance in their half of the ninth when Zunino doubled with two outs off Aroldis Chapman, but Padlo struck out.
The Rays took a 2-0 lead in the second as Mike Brosseau led off with a single and Zunino hit a two-out homer.
The Yankees responded with three in the third off Michael Wacha, who looked uncomfortable coming out of the bullpen to replace Honeywell.
Sanchez drew a leadoff walk, and Ursehla crushed a ball 453 to center for a two-run homer. The Yankees loaded the bases on a Gardner infield single, LeMahieu ground-rule double and Judge walk, and got another run when Hicks grounded into a double play.
But the Rays came right back to quickly take a 4-3 lead. Yandy Diaz led off with a single, and Randy Arozarena drove a ball over the rightfield fence, his second straight game with a homer since a pregame adjustment to his swing Friday with hitting coach Chad Mottola.
The Yankees threatened in the seventh off reliever Cody Reed, helped by a seemingly phantom hit by pitch call on Sanchez, but Ryan Thompson came on with the bases loaded to get LeMahieu to ground into a double play.
The Yankees broke through to tie it in the eighth. Thompson walked Judge with to start the inning and Giancarlo Stanton with one out, then gave up an RBI single to Torres.
There was some other drama befitting the at times contentious nature of the rivalry, as Austin Meadows was hit twice by pitches, the third straight game a Rays batter was plunked.
Meadows was hit with two outs in the first by starter Jordan Montgomery, drawing some reaction from the Rays dugout, and a warning from the umpires to try to prevent further escalation.
When Meadows was hit again in the fifth, a glancing blow, the umpires conferred and took no further action, which also seemed to annoy the Rays, based on their reaction.
Sanchez was ruled by the umpires to be hit by a Reed pitch in the seventh that bounced.
Honeywell got the Rays off to a good start in his major-league debut, retiring all six batters he faced, and on 21 pitches.
After allowing the three runs in the third, Wacha settled in to work three more scoreless innings.
