Yankees rally past Padres 4-3 in 10 innings after breaking up Cease's no-hit bid in 7th

NEW YORK (AP) — Pinch-hitter J.C. Escarra came through with a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning and the New York Yankees, held hitless into the seventh, rallied past the San Diego Padres 4-3 on Wednesday night.

Cody Bellinger homered with one out in the seventh for New York's first hit off Padres starter Dylan Cease, who exited moments later with a cramp in his right forearm.

Max Fried tossed seven splendid innings in a pitchers' duel with Cease before San Diego scored twice against the Yankees' bullpen to build a 3-1 lead in the eighth.

Pinch-hitter Trent Grisham tied it with a two-run homer in the bottom half after Oswaldo Cabrera drew a leadoff walk from Jason Adam. It was Grisham's 10th home run, eclipsing last year's total.

Cabrera led off the 10th with a sacrifice bunt that moved automatic runner Jasson Domínguez to third. Escarra, the backup catcher and former Uber driver, then came off the bench and lofted a long fly into the left-field corner against Jeremiah Estrada (1-2) that allowed Domínguez to score easily for New York's first walk-off win this season.

In his second game since coming off the injured list, Jackson Merrill hit a solo homer in the fourth and a tiebreaking single in the eighth for the Padres. Xander Bogaerts added a sacrifice fly off Luke Weaver to make it 3-1.

Even as San Diego was taking the lead, a huge roar went up in the Yankee Stadium crowd of 42,302 when the New York Knicks finished off their rally for a 91-90 victory in Boston that gave them a 2-0 lead over the Celtics in their NBA playoff series.

With the bases loaded and two outs in the 10th, embattled reliever Devin Williams (1-2) struck out Bogaerts with a full-count changeup. Williams screamed and pumped his fist before hopping off the mound. He ended up with his first win for the Yankees, who took two of three in the series.

Fried was drafted seventh overall by the Padres in 2012 before they traded him to Atlanta. He is 6-0 with a 1.05 ERA for New York since signing a $218 million contract as a free agent in December, and the Yankees have won all eight of his starts.

Padres: Following a day off, RHP Randy Vásquez (1-3, 3.90 ERA) starts Friday night in Colorado.

Yankees: Rookie RHP Will Warren (1-2, 5.65 ERA) pitches Friday at the Athletics.

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

New York Yankees' Trent Grisham watches a ball he hit for a two-run home run during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

A trainer checks on San Diego Padres pitcher Dylan Cease during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

San Diego Padres' Dylan Cease pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Yankees pitcher Devin Williams celebrates after striking out San Diego Padres' Xander Bogaerts during the 10th inning of a baseball game Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Yankees' J.C. Escarra, center, celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off sacrifice fly ball during the 10th inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.

Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.

“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.

"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.

Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.

Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.

Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.

At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.

Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.

Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.

After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.

“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”

Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.

Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.

His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.

“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”

Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.

FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)