Stanton and Rizzo help Yankees rally in 9th inning for 2-1 victory over Tigers

NEW YORK (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton hit a tying double in the ninth inning and Anthony Rizzo followed with a game-winning single to give the New York Yankees a 2-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Friday night.

Shut out on two hits for eight innings, the Yankees got four in a row off closer Jason Foley (2-1) to start and finish the bottom of the ninth in a heartbeat.

“If we've got outs left, we've got time,” Stanton said.

Aaron Judge bounced a single through the middle and advanced to second base on a surprise bunt single toward third by cleanup batter Alex Verdugo.

“It just kind of popped in my head,” Verdugo said. “Just saw it was there and just kind of went with it. ... I think it definitely caught everybody off guard.”

Stanton, who struck out his previous three times up, lined an opposite-field double into the right-field corner on a 97 mph sinker, leaving runners at second and third.

It was Stanton's first hit this season on a pitch 97 mph or faster.

“You've got to want those moments,” he said.

Rizzo then grounded a single through a drawn-in infield beyond diving second baseman Andy Ibáñez for New York's first walk-off win of the year. Rizzo raised one arm as he jogged toward first base and was swarmed by excited teammates.

“I think Judgie getting on set the tone,” Rizzo said. “I don't know if that was a sneak-attack bunt. Perfect bunt. Big G with just a massive swing.”

Scuffling at the plate, the Yankees have totaled eight runs over their last five games after scoring 15 in consecutive games at Milwaukee. New York began a six-game homestand with a stirring comeback win after dropping three of four at AL East rival Baltimore.

“It's big time," Stanton said. "It's just one of those, keep pushing while we have outs, while we have opportunities, and we needed every last one.”

Foley, raised on nearby Long Island, had converted 14 straight save chances dating to June 18 last year. Detroit has lost nine of its past 10 games at Yankee Stadium since April 30, 2021.

Dennis Santana (2-0) worked a hitless inning for the win.

“This ballpark, you’ve got to play the whole 27 outs. You never feel comfortable, and they’re going to keep fighting,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “So, pretty good inning by them, putting together against a pretty good pitcher.”

Yankees starter Marcus Stroman was rolling along until he walked three straight batters in the sixth, forcing in a run with a free pass to Colt Keith.

Ian Hamilton escaped a bases-loaded jam, and Victor González stranded three Detroit runners in the seventh. González also got a couple of excellent defensive plays from Judge in center field and Rizzo at first base in a 1-2-3 eighth.

Riley Greene had three hits for the Tigers and was robbed of a fourth on a sparkling play by Gold Glove shortstop Anthony Volpe to start the game.

Making his first Yankee Stadium appearance, Detroit starter Reese Olson struck out five in five impressive innings of two-hit ball. Mixing his pitches beautifully, the 24-year-old right-hander lowered his ERA to 2.70 but is 0-4 in six starts this season after pitching in hard luck with little run support.

“He was awesome. He did everything tonight,” Hinch said. “He was in really good control.”

Alex Faedo, Andrew Chafin and Shelby Miller held the Yankees hitless over the next three innings.

“Obviously, offensively we didn't put a bunch together,” Rizzo said. “With this offense, it just takes one guy to get on. Just got to keep grinding.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers: 3B Gio Urshela (right hamstring strain) is with the team and working out. He is hitting, fielding and going through a running progression. Urshela has been on the injured list since April 20.

Yankees: RHP Gerrit Cole (elbow inflammation) is scheduled to throw off a mound Saturday for the first time since getting injured in spring training. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner isn't expected back until at least June. ... INF Jon Berti (left groin strain) was set to go through a pregame workout and potentially come off the injured list Saturday. ... RHP Nick Burdi (right hip inflammation) will pitch Sunday for Double-A Somerset and could be reinstated from the IL after one or two rehab outings. ... RHP Tommy Kahnle (right shoulder inflammation) is expected to begin a rehab assignment after throwing live batting practice once or twice more. His next session will be Saturday.

UP NEXT

Detroit RHP Casey Mize (1-0, 3.08 ERA) pitches Saturday afternoon against RHP Clarke Schmidt (2-1, 3.19) in the middle game of the series.

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

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge, right, talks to home plate umpire Alan Porter after striking out during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Friday, May 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Detroit Tigers' Riley Greene (31) heads to home plate to score on a bases loaded walk of Colt Keith during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Friday, May 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Yankees pitcher Marcus Stroman hands the ball to manager Aaron Boone as he leaves during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Friday, May 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Detroit Tigers' Reese Olson (45) pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Friday, May 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Detroit Tigers' Javier Báez (28) throws out New York Yankees' Juan Soto at first base after forcing out Anthony Volpe for a double play during the first inning of a baseball game, Friday, May 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Yankees' Anthony Rizzo celebrates after hitting a walk-off RBI single during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Friday, May 3, 2024, in New York. The Yankees won 2-1. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge runs to home plate to score on a double by Giancarlo Stanton during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Friday, May 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton hits an RBI double during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Friday, May 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Yankees' Anthony Rizzo, center, celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off RBI single during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Friday, May 3, 2024, in New York. The Yankees won 2-1. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Yankees' Anthony Rizzo celebrates after hitting a walk-off RBI single during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Friday, May 3, 2024, in New York. The Yankees won 2-1. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Yankees' Anthony Rizzo, center, celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off RBI single during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Friday, May 3, 2024, in New York. The Yankees won 2-1. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

DJENNE, Mali (AP) — Kola Bah used to earn a living as a tour guide in Mali's historic city of Djenné, once a center of Islamic learning known for the sprawling mud-brick mosque that has been on the UNESCO World Heritage in Danger list since 2016.

The Grand Mosque of Djenné — the world’s largest mud-brick building — used to draw tens of thousands of tourists to central Mali every year. Now it's threatened by conflict between jihadi rebels, government forces and other groups.

Bah says his income was enough to support his family, which now numbers nine children, and to pay for a small herd of cattle. But these days, few visitors come to the city, and he has been largely out of work. When he needs cash, he sells some of his cattle.

Speaking to The Associated Press outside his home in Djenné's old town, Bah said locals believed the crisis would come to an end eventually, and that business would pick up as before.

“But the more time passed, the more this dream proved illusory,” he said. “Things are really difficult now.”

Djenné is one of the oldest towns in sub-Saharan Africa and served as a market center and an important link in the trans-Saharan gold trade. Almost 2,000 of its traditional houses still survive in the old town.

The Grand Mosque, built in 1907 on the site of an older mosque dating back to the 13th century, is re-plastered every year by local residents in a ritual that brings together the entire city. The towering, earth-colored structure requires a new layer of mud before the rainy season starts, or it would fall into disrepair.

Women are responsible for carrying water from the nearby river to mix with clay and rice hulls to make the mud used to plaster the mosque. Adding the new layer of mud is a job reserved for men. The joyful ritual is a source of pride for a city that has fallen on hard times, uniting people of all ages.

Bamouyi Trao Traoré, one of Djenné’s lead masons, says they work as a team from the very start. This year's replastering took place earlier this month.

“Each one of us goes to a certain spot to supervise,” he said. “This is how we do it until the whole thing is done. We organize ourselves, we supervise the younger ones.”

Mali’s conflict erupted following a coup in 2012 that created a power vacuum, allowing jihadi groups to seize control of key northern cities. A French-led military operation pushed them out of the urban centers the following year, but the success was short-lived.

The jihadis regrouped and launched relentless attacks on the Malian military, as well as the United Nations, French and regional forces in the country. The militants proclaimed allegiance to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.

Sidi Keita, the director of Mali’s national tourism agency in the capital of Bamako, says the drop in tourism was sharp following the violence.

“It was really a popular destination," he said, describing tens of thousands of visitors a year and adding that today, tourists are “virtually absent from Mali.”.

Despite being one of Africa’s top gold producers, Mali ranks among the least developed nations in the world, with almost half of its 22 million people living below the national poverty line. With the tourism industry all but gone, there are ever fewer means for Malians to make a living.

Anger and frustration over what many Malians call “the crisis” is rising. The country also saw two more coups since 2020, during a wave of political instability in West and Central Africa.

Col. Assimi Goita, who took charge in Mali after a second coup in 2021, expelled French forces the following year, and turned to Russia’s mercenary units for security assistance. He also ordered the U.N. to ended its 10-year peacekeeping mission in Mali the following year.

Goita has promised to beat back the armed groups, but the U.N. and other analysts say the government is rapidly losing ground to militants. With Mali's dire economic situation getting worse, Goita's ruling junta ordered all political activities to stop last month, and the following day barred the media from reporting on political activities.

Moussa Moriba Diakité, head of Djenne’s cultural mission which strives to preserve the city’s heritage, said there are other challenges beyond security — including illegal excavations and trash disposal in the city.

The mission is trying to promote the message that security isn’t as bad is it seems, he said, and also get more young people involved in the replastering ritual, to help the new generation recognize its importance.

“It's not easy to get people to understand the benefits of preserving cultural heritage right away,” he said.

The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

The streets of old town Djenne, Mali, once filled with tourists, stand empty, Thursday, May 9, 2024. The world's largest mud-brick building, the Great Mosque of Djenne used to draw tens of thousands of tourists every year to central Mali. Now it's threatened by conflict between Islamic rebels, government forces and other groups. (AP Photo/Moustapha Diallo)

The campement hotel, the only working hotel left in Djenne, Mali, sits largely empty, in disrepair without running water, Thursday, May 9, 2024. The world's largest mud-brick building, the Great Mosque of Djenne used to draw tens of thousands of tourists every year to central Mali. Now it's threatened by conflict between Islamic rebels, government forces and other groups. (AP Photo/Moustapha Diallo)

Former guide Kola Bah, who has been unemployed since Mali's conflict started and now sells from his small herd of cattle when he needs to make ends meet, poses for a photograph in Djenne, Mali, Thursday, May 9, 2024. The world's largest mud-brick building, the Great Mosque of Djenne used to draw tens of thousands of tourists every year to central Mali. Now it's threatened by conflict between Islamic rebels, government forces and other groups. (AP Photo/Moustapha Diallo)

FILE- The world's largest mud-brick building, the Great Mosque of Djenne, Mali, awaits its annual replastering, Friday, May 10, 2024. The Mosque — the world's largest mud-brick building — used to draw tens of thousands of tourists every year to central Mali. Now it's threatened by conflict between Islamic rebels, government forces and other groups. (AP Photo/Moustapha Diallo, File)