Juan Soto's 3-run homer in 5-run 7th inning lifts Yankees over Rays 5-3

NEW YORK (AP) — Juan Soto hit a three-run homer halfway up the right field second deck to cap a five-run seventh inning and the New York Yankees rallied to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-3 on Friday night.

Soto stood at home plate and admired his 409-foot drive off Chris Devenski (0-1), which gave the Yankees a 5-1 lead. Soto is hitting .347 with five homers and 20 RBIs in his first season with the Yankees.

“I actually didn’t see that because I was admiring where it was going,” manager Aaron Boone said of Soto's celebration. Of the five homers, I think that’s the first one he’s really, really stepped on like where is thing going to land. I was paying attention to that.”

New York is 5-0 when Soto homers. He is hitting .563 with three homers and 17 RBIs with runners in scoring position and his latest long ball propelled the Yankees to their seventh comeback win. Soto has reached base safely in 12 straight games and 18 of his first 20 with the Yankees.

“I’m just going to the plate with my plan: Just try to get a good pitch and try drive the ball to the outfield and try to get those guys in,” Soto said.

Soto also made a leaping catch at the right field wall to rob Richie Palacios of a possible homer for the final out of the third.

“Not very surprised,” Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt said of Soto. “It’s like every moment, it’s big games, or big ABs. He’s just a special player.”

Issac Paredes hit a two-run single in the eighth against Ian Hamilton, and Clay Holmes escaped trouble in the ninth for his eighth save in nine chances.

Former Yankee Ben Rortvedt and Yandy Díaz singled, and Randy Arozarena hit a pop fly to shallow center that just eluded Aaron Judge, who threw to third for a forceout while the teams wondered whether an infield fly had been called — it was not.

“Just a little confusion,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “It’s a tough call for the umpire. It looked like I think he thought he caught the ball originally.”

Palacios then lined to shortstop Anthony Volpe, who threw to Gleyber Torres to double up Jose Siri for a game-ending double play.

Dennis Santana (1-0) pitched 1 2/3 innings for his first win with the Yankees, who were outhit 14-5.

Palacios, who grew up a Yankees fan and attended Berkeley Carroll School in Brooklyn, homered off Schmidt for a 1-0 lead in the second.

With one out in the seventh, Alex Verdugo hit a grounder that went under second baseman Curtis Mead’s glove. Jose Trevino walked, and Oswaldo Cabrera’s grounded skipped over Díaz’s glove at first as the tying run scored. Volpe singled for a 2-1 lead.

“The ball took a pretty wicked hop on Yandy, two errors and a walk, you got those types of hitters coming up, they can make you pay and they did,” Cash said.

Tampa Bay starter Tyler Alexander allowed two hits in 5 1/3 scoreless innings. Schmidt gave up seven hits in 5 1/3 innings and threw a career-high 102 pitches.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rays: OF Josh Lowe (strained right oblique) went 0 for 3 with a walk in his first minor league rehabilitation game for Triple-A Durham.

Yankees: INF DJ LeMahieu (bruised right foot) had the start of his rehab assignment possibly pushed back to next week after an MRI on Thursday showed he was not fully healed.… RHP Nick Burdi (right hip inflammation) was placed on the injured list after feeling pain during his outing Tuesday in Toronto. … RHP Cody Morris was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre to replace Burdi and OF Taylor Trammell was added to the roster after being claimed off waivers Thursday.

UP NEXT

Rays RHP Zach Eflin (1-2, 4.63 ERA) opposes New York LHP Nestor Cortes (1-1, 4.50) Saturday afternoon following a pregame ceremony to honor recently retired Yankees’ radio broadcaster John Sterling.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone, right, and Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash, left, talk to officials during the ninth inning of a baseball game Friday, April 19, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Yankees' Juan Soto celebrates after hitting a three-run home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Friday, April 19, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge, front right, Juan Soto, second from front right, Anthony Rizzo, second from left, and Alex Verdugo, left, celebrate after a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Friday, April 19, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Yankees' Juan Soto follows through on a three-run home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Friday, April 19, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Yankees' Juan Soto celebrates with teammates after hitting a three-run home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Friday, April 19, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Yankees' Juan Soto, right, celebrates as he reaches home plate after hitting a three-run home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game as Tampa Bay Rays catcher Ben Rortvedt watches Friday, April 19, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

DENVER (AP) — A supremely confident Reggie Jackson was just waiting to let loose as he watched Jamal Murray dribble past Nikola Jokic's high screen with the seconds ticking away on the Los Angeles Lakers' season.

“Just watch our bench, I clearly called, ‘Game!’” Murray's backup said Thursday following the Denver Nuggets' practice at Ball Arena. “I mean, the guy has the ball in his hands, with the shot clock running down, time running out, I haven't seen too many do it better than him.”

One week earlier, in Game 2, Murray's basket over an outstretched Anthony Davis from the right baseline completed a comeback from a 20-point second-half deficit and gave Denver the first buzzer-beater in the franchise's 100-game playoff history.

This time, Murray swept left as Austin Reaves, slowed by the screen, chased him through the lane, where every Laker converged.

As the shot went up, four defenders were in the paint and the fifth was just inches outside the lane. None were in position to deflect or even affect Murray's tiebreaking bucket that sent the defending NBA champion Nuggets onto Round 2 and LeBron James to his earliest playoff exit ever.

No other player in the NBA's 77-year history had ever hit two winners in the final five seconds of a playoff series.

“His poise, his confidence, his belief in himself, obviously his work ethic to be ready and prepared for the moment," Jackson said, rattling off the qualities that make Murray such a sure bet in the clutch.

“The only people who might be more cool, calm and collected than him in that moment are his teammates — because we have the utmost belief in him,” Jackson said.

The most amazing part of Murray's magical night was that he did it while defying coach Michael Malone, who, along with the team's medical staff, tried to talk him into sitting out the game because of a strained left calf that had announced itself 48 hours earlier in Denver's Game 4 loss in Los Angeles.

Instead, Murray logged a playoff-high 41 minutes, scored a team-best 32 points and sealed his reputation as the “Laker Breaker” by sending James home in five games, one fewer than the Suns did in 2021, the only other time the league's career scoring leader failed to advance out of the first round.

Not surprisingly, Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley suggests that containing Murray will be key to Minnesota's success as the Wolves try to parlay their sweep of the Phoenix Suns in Round 1 and avenge last year's first-round loss to the Nuggets. The series starts Saturday in Denver.

“When Murray goes well, they go well, for the most part," Conley said. "We're going to try to limit that as much as we can. He’s a great player. He’s going to make his plays, but we have a lot of guys we can throw at him, a lot of different schemes we’re going to try to throw at him in hopes that it slows him down a little bit.

"But not just him. We’re treating Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, all these guys just as high on our scouting report. Because when they’re playing well, they’re pretty much unbeatable.”

Boosted by some 50-point performances in the bubble, Murray has averaged 24.9 points, 6.4 assists and 5.0 rebounds in 58 career playoff games.

Even when he's struggling to find his shot as he was in Game 2, Murray is magical in the fourth quarter

“There's a few guys in the league who play like that: When the fourth quarter comes up, you know that it’s their time and they’re going to step up a couple notches," Conley said. "We definitely know that’s coming. So fourth quarters start, you have to be locked in and understand that you need to be more aggressive.

"Don’t hold your head if he makes a tough shot. That’s what he does. He’s going to make a fadeaway or two, or an and-one, or things that other players might not be able to make and be able to move onto the next possession and figure out how to win the game.”

AP Sports Writer Dave Campbell in Minneapolis contributed to this report.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray reacts after hitting a basket in the second half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers Monday, April 29, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, left, argues with referee James Williams in the second half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers Monday, April 29, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets assistant coach Popeye Jones, left, hugs guard Jamal Murray after Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers Monday, April 29, 2024, in Denver. Murray scored 32 points despite a strained calf and sank the game-winner with 3.6 seconds left to win over the Lakers. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) hugs head coach Michael Malone after hitting the game-winning basket at the buzzer against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half in Game 2 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Monday, April 22, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) hits the game-winning basket against Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) during the second half in Game 2 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Monday, April 22, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) is congratulated by teammates after hitting the game-winning basket at the buzzer against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half in Game 2 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Monday, April 22, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)