Yankees manager Aaron Boone got fired up at a rookie umpire in a profane rant , and New York awoke from a sleepy start to rally past the Tampa Bay Rays 6-2 in a doubleheader opener Thursday.
After Domingo Germán gave up solo homers to his first two batters, Gio Urshela hit a tying home run in the second off Yonny Chirinos, and Gary Sánchez smashed a go-ahead 110 mph single off the glove of third baseman Yandy Díaz during a three-run fifth. Díaz had helped the Yankees come alive when he dropped Didi Gregorius' leadoff popup in the second for a two-base error.
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Yankees manager Aaron Boone got fired up at a rookie umpire in a profane rant , and New York awoke from a sleepy start to rally past the Tampa Bay Rays 6-2 in a doubleheader opener Thursday.
Gardner returned to the dugout, slammed his bat into the bat rack nine times, then eight times into the dugout roof. Microphones caught Boone yelling that the pitch was outside to Miller, a Triple-A International League crew chief who made his big league debut April 20 as a call-up umpire.
Luke Voit singled in a run in the fifth and Urshela had an RBI double as part of a three-hit game that raised his average to .308. Aaron Hicks added a sixth-inning homer for the Yankees, who reopened a seven-game lead over second-place Tampa Bay in the AL East.
Chirinos (9-5) gave up five runs — four earned — and nine hits in five innings, including the 17th homer he allowed this season.
Gregorius, adding to his Twitter emojis after Yankees win, debuted his Instagam portraits of Yankees teammates this week with Edwin Encarnación with a parrot on his right arm, a reference to Encarnación's parrot wing motion during home run trots.
BUCK'S BACK
TRAINER'S ROOM
Boone fumed after rookie umpire Brennan Miller called Brett Gardner out on strikes in the second inning. Miller, umpiring behind the plate for the fifth time in the major leagues, had punched out Aaron Judge in the first. Gardner batted in the second after Urshela's tying, two-run homer and struck out on a 1-2 pitch.
New York Yankees' Aaron Boone, right, gets in the face of home plate umpire Brennan Miller during the second inning of game one of a baseball doubleheader against the Tampa Bay Rays, Tuesday, July 16, 2019, in New York. Boone had already been ejected when he expressed his displeasure with the umpire's calls. (AP PhotoKathy Willens)
Gardner returned to the dugout, slammed his bat into the bat rack nine times, then eight times into the dugout roof. Microphones caught Boone yelling that the pitch was outside to Miller, a Triple-A International League crew chief who made his big league debut April 20 as a call-up umpire.
Miller said, "I heard you, Aaron," and when Boone persisted, the umpire ejected him. Boone ran out and kept up the argument, getting close to Miller's face and clapping his hands for emphasis. He repeatedly called his players "savages" in the batter's box and told Miller to "tighten it up right now, OK?"
Boone was tossed for the third time this season and the seventh time in two years as a big league manager.
New York Yankees' Aaron Hicks celebrates with teammates after hitting a solo home run in the sixth inning of the first game of a baseball doubleheader against the Tampa Bay Rays, Thursday, July 18, 2019, in New York. (AP PhotoKathy Willens)
Luke Voit singled in a run in the fifth and Urshela had an RBI double as part of a three-hit game that raised his average to .308. Aaron Hicks added a sixth-inning homer for the Yankees, who reopened a seven-game lead over second-place Tampa Bay in the AL East.
Germán (12-2) won his third straight start since recovering from a hip injury, allowing four hits in six innings.
After Wednesday night's rainout was rescheduled as part of the doubleheader, the start was delayed 1 hour, 26 minutes because more rain was forecast. Austin Meadows homered on Germán's fourth pitch and Díaz on his eighth, both curveballs. Meadows has five homers against the Yankees this season.
Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Ryne Stanek watches a solo home run by New York Yankees' Aaron Hicks during the sixth inning of the first game of a baseball doubleheader Thursday, July 18, 2019, in New York. (AP PhotoKathy Willens)
Chirinos (9-5) gave up five runs — four earned — and nine hits in five innings, including the 17th homer he allowed this season.
Charlie Morton (11-2) was to start the second game for the Rays against a Yankees pitcher to be announced.
DRAWING BOARD
New York Yankees' starting pitcher Domingo German winds up during the first inning in the first game of a baseball doubleheader, Thursday, July 18, 2019, in New York. (AP PhotoKathy Willens)x
Gregorius, adding to his Twitter emojis after Yankees win, debuted his Instagam portraits of Yankees teammates this week with Edwin Encarnación with a parrot on his right arm, a reference to Encarnación's parrot wing motion during home run trots.
ANNIVERSARY
David Cone worked the doubleheader for the YES Network on the 20th anniversary of his perfect game against Montreal.
Tampa Bay Rays' Yandy Diaz, left, and New York Yankees' catcher Gary Sanchez watch Diaz's home run during the first inning of the first game of a baseball doubleheader, Thursday, July 18, 2019, in New York. (AP PhotoKathy Willens)
BUCK'S BACK
Former Yankees manager Buck Showalter, let go by Baltimore at the end of last season, is working this week as a studio analyst for the Yankees' YES Network.
FOUR HOLE
Kevin Kiermaier hit cleanup for the first time in his big league career and went 1 for 4 with a double.
Tampa Bay Rays' Austin Meadows runs on his solo home run during the first inning in the first game of a baseball doubleheader against the New York Yankees, Thursday, July 18, 2019, in New York. (AP PhotoKathy Willens)
TRAINER'S ROOM
RHP Luis Severino and RHP Dellin Betances (lat strains) threw on flat ground for the second straight day and third time in four days.
UP NEXT
Rays: Tampa Bay had not announced a starter for Friday's game at Baltimore.
Teammates congratulate New York Yankees' third baseman Gio Urshela in the dugout after he hit a game-tying, two-run home run during the second inning of the first game of a baseball doubleheader, Thursday, July 18, 2019, in New York. (AP PhotoKathy Willens)
Yankees: Pushed back because of the rainout, LHP J.A. Happ (7-5) is slated to start Friday against Colorado and LHP Kyle Freeland (2-6).
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