LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ryan Yarbrough limited baseball’s best offense to four hits over six innings, Ben Rice hit a tiebreaking two-run homer and the New York Yankees defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-3 on Sunday to avoid getting swept for the first time this season.
The Dodgers outscored the Yankees 26-7 in winning the first two games of their World Series rematch, including an 18-2 rout Saturday. But right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the stalwart on a staff ravaged by injuries, labored from the start in front of 54,031, the largest crowd of the season at Dodger Stadium.
Click to Gallery
New York Yankees' Paul Goldschmidt breaks his bat as he grounds out during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday, June 1, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani takes a strike during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Sunday, June 1, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto throws to the plate during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Sunday, June 1, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
New York Yankees' Ben Rice, right, is congratulated by Aaron Judge after hitting a two-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday, June 1, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
New York Yankees' Ryan Yarbrough celebrates after striking out Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman to end the sixth inning of a baseball game Sunday, June 1, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Yarbrough (3-0) allowed one run and struck out five in his fifth start of the year. He was a reliever for the Dodgers last season and received his World Series ring while in town.
Yamamoto (6-4) gave up a season-high seven hits while striking out two in 3 2/3 innings, both season lows. The Japanese right-hander permitted four runs and walked three.
New York's DJ LeMahieu had his first four-hit game since 2021.
The Yankees led 1-0 on Jasson Domínguez's RBI single in the first. Left fielder Andy Pages' throw sailed over the head of catcher Will Smith. Backing up Smith, Yamamoto made a pinpoint throw to second, but Kiké Hernández dropped the ball and Domínguez was safe.
Domínguez later left the game with a bruised left thumb.
Tommy Edman tied the game with a two-out homer in the second. After that, Yarbrough retired 13 of his next 15 batters. Pages and Max Muncy homered in the seventh.
The Yankees took a 4-1 lead in the third. Rice's 425-foot homer to center field scored Aaron Judge, who walked. Anthony Volpe singled, went to third on Austin Wells' single and scored on Yamamoto's wild pitch.
They extended the lead to 6-1 in the fifth on RBI singles by LeMahieu and Oswald Peraza off Lou Trivino. LeMahieu's RBI double made it 7-3 in the ninth.
Judge and Shohei Ohtani were hitless after becoming the first reigning MVPs in major league history to homer in the first inning of a game on Friday. Judge was 0 for 4 with a walk and two strikeouts as the only Yankees player to go hitless. Ohtani went 0 for 4 with a strikeout.
The Yankees are 4-0 this season when facing a series sweep, having beaten Arizona, Detroit, Cleveland and the Dodgers. They're also one of three teams that hasn't been swept in a series of at least two games. ... It was the first time this season the Dodgers’ top four hitters went hitless: Ohtani, Teoscar Hernández, Freddie Freeman and Smith.
After an off day, Yankees LHP Carlos Rodón (7-3, 2.60 ERA) starts Tuesday against Cleveland.
Dodgers RHP Dustin May (3-4, 4.20) pitches Monday night against the New York Mets.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
New York Yankees' Paul Goldschmidt breaks his bat as he grounds out during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday, June 1, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani takes a strike during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Sunday, June 1, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto throws to the plate during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Sunday, June 1, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
New York Yankees' Ben Rice, right, is congratulated by Aaron Judge after hitting a two-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday, June 1, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
New York Yankees' Ryan Yarbrough celebrates after striking out Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman to end the sixth inning of a baseball game Sunday, June 1, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) — Travis Head took off his helmet and gloves, dropped to his knees and planted a kiss on the pitch after posting a century in a fourth consecutive test on his home ground at the Adelaide Oval.
It was trademark “Travball" on Day 3 of the third Ashes cricket test.
The freewheeling Australia batter had a huge reprieve on 99 when he slashed at a Jofra Archer delivery and was dropped by Harry Brook at gully. That was after he fended a Joe Root tweaker and took off for a quick single, only to be sent back by batting partner Alex Carey.
Head faced eight balls without scoring while on 99, then went for broke and advanced down the pitch and drove the ball back over Root’s head to the long-on boundary to move to 103.
It was his 11th century in 63 tests, and second in five innings since being promoted from No. 5 to open the innings in Perth. That's where his match-winning innings sealed Australia's eight-wicket win to open the series.
By stumps Friday, Head was unbeaten on 142 and his unbroken partnership with fellow South Australian Carey (52) was 122. Australia was 271-4, with a lead of 356.
Head said his new-look celebration of the century was designed to get a laugh out of his teammates.
“I got the rise out of the dressing room that I expected," he said in comments published by Fox Sports. He added, more seriously, that his hometown "wicket has looked after me over the last few years.
"I didn’t think I’d get one, so to get four (centuries at the Adelaide Oval) is not too bad. I felt alright.”
Brook took two excellent catches in the slips to remove Marnus Labuschagne (13) and Cameron Green (7) off Josh Tongue's bowling, but the one he missed against Head was costly.
The Australians went in to bat after dismissing England for 286 just before lunch, after Ben Stokes and Archer helped cut the first-innings margin to 85 with a record 106-run ninth-wicket stand.
Stokes walked off the field yelling at himself and shaking his head after being bowled for 83 by Mitchell Starc, bringing an end to a defiant, 198-ball innings that dragged his team back into the contest.
After losing the first two tests in Perth and Brisbane and allowing Australia to post 371 in the first innings here, England's chances of keeping the five-test series alive seemed remote when Stokes went to the crease on Day 2 with the total at 71-4.
With England on the verge of collapsing at 168-8, Stokes joined forces with No. 10 Archer to bat out the evening session. The pair resumed Friday with England at 213 for eight, still 158 behind.
Australia wanted to clean up the last two wickets quickly but Stokes and Archer, who took a five-wicket haul when England was bowling, dug in.
Stokes stepped down the wicket to Scott Boland for a driven boundary to bring up the 50 partnership off 89 balls, then raised his half-century with a single off 159 deliveries. It was his slowest 50 in test cricket — his 37th — but vital for his team.
Not long after, Archer took a single off Cummins to reach his first test half-century off 97 balls, bringing England's deficit under 100.
But the innings ended relatively quickly after left-armer Starc bowled Stokes with a delivery from over the wicket that angled back. The Stokes-Archer partnership was the highest ever for the ninth wicket for England at Adelaide.
All that time in the sun had an impact on England's bowling attack, though. Archer, who took five wickets in the first innings, took 0-15 in 10 overs on Friday. Stokes, England's highest wicket-taker this year, didn't bowl and had to leave the field for a short while in the evening session.
England is capable of tracking down a big target in the fourth innings, chasing 370-plus against India twice in the last three years, so Bazball won't be completely dispensed with despite Stokes' stoic first innings.
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
Australia's Travis Head celebrates after scoring century during play on day three of the third Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Adelaide, Australia, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/James Elsby)
Australia's Travis Head kisses the pitch after scoring a century during play on day three of the third Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Adelaide, Australia, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/James Elsby)
Australia's Travis Head reacts after scoring 50 runs during play on day three of the third Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Adelaide, Australia, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/James Elsby)
Australia's Marnus Labuschagne reacts while batting during play on day three of the third Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Adelaide, Australia, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/James Elsby)
England's Brydon Carse, left, celebrates with Ben Stokes after dismissing Australia's Jake Weatherald, during play on day three of the third Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Adelaide, Australia, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/James Elsby)
England's Jofra Archer plays a shot during play on day two of the third Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Adelaide, Australia, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/James Elsby)
England batsmen Jofra Archer, right, and Ben Stokes talk during play on day three of the third Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Adelaide, Australia, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/James Elsby)
England's Ben Stokes bats during play on day three of the third Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Adelaide, Australia, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/James Elsby)
