Cole throws 6 scoreless innings in return, Rays rally past Yankees 4-2 for 16th win in 19 games

NEW YORK (AP) — Gerrit Cole pitched six scoreless innings in his return from elbow ligament replacement surgery but shortstop José Caballero's error led to a four-run eighth inning that boosted the Tampa Bay Rays over the New York Yankees 4-2 on Friday night for their 16th win in 19 games.

Austin Wells homered for the first time since April 28, a fifth-inning drive off Nick Martinez, before Tampa Bay rallied to deal the Yankees their third straight loss and 10th in 14 games. The Rays, a big league-best 34-15, are 4-0 against the Yankees and opened a 5 1/2-game AL East lead over New York

Yankees star Aaron Judge went 0 for 4 with a game-ending flyout to the center-field warning track with a man on and is in 1-for-24 slide that dropped his average to .245. Judge has gone a career-high 11 games without any RBIs.

A 35-year-old right-hander who had surgery in March 2025, Cole allowed two hits and three walks while striking out two. The six-time All-Star and the 2023 AL Cy Young Award averaged 96.1 mph with his four-seam fastball.

Caballero, back at shortstop after missing 10 days with a broken finger, allowed Chandler Simpson's one-hopper to bounce off his glove leading of the eighth.

Junior Caminero singled off Tim Hill (0-2), Jonathan Aranda followed with an RBI double and Yandy Díaz was intentionally walked. Richie Palacios hit a comebacker that could have been a 1-2-3 double play but the ball bounced off the glove of a leaping Hill, over Caballero and into center for a two-run single. Ryan Vilade added a sacrifice fly.

Ian Seymour (3-0) allowed Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s RBI triple in the eighth and Bryan Baker got three outs for his 14th save in 17 chances.

Tampa Bay’s Jonny DeLuca left in the seventh after hurting his right hamstring going from first to third on Cedric Mullins’ double. Rays manager Kevin Cash said DeLuca likely will be put on the injured list.

Trent Grisham, who missed Thursday's game because of a sore knee, had three hits for the Yankees.

Yankees RHP Ryan Weathers (2-, 3.58) and Rays RHP Drew Rasmussen (4-1, 3.19) were scheduled to start Saturday.

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Shirtless fans of the New York Yankees react during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Friday, May 22, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Tampa Bay Rays' Jonathan Aranda, right, reacts after hitting an RBI double during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Friday, May 22, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

New York Yankees' Austin Wells hits a home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Friday, May 22, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Friday, May 22, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Tampa Bay Rays' Richie Palacios, right, hits an RBI single during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Friday, May 22, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Tampa Bay Rays' Jonathan Aranda, right, hits an RBI double during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Friday, May 22, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A four-week United Nations conference reviewing the treaty to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons ended Friday without agreement as the United States and Iran sparred over Iran's nuclear program.

Vietnam's U.N. Ambassador Do Hung Viet, who chaired the conference, announced that there was no consensus among the 191 parties to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty on even a watered-down final document.

He told a news conference later that “no one blocked consensus.” But he said “a very important reason” for the failure to reach an outcome was a provision in the final draft that said Iran “can never seek, develop or acquire any nuclear weapons.”

It was the third failure in a row at a conference reviewing the NPT, considered the cornerstone of global nonproliferation and disarmament. At the last treaty review in August 2022, Russia blocked agreement on a final document over its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine and references to Moscow’s occupation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest.

Tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program escalated ahead of the Iran war, which began with U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Feb. 28. President Donald Trump has said the war was aimed at preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. Iran has enriched uranium to near weapons-grade levels but insists its program is only for civilian purposes.

The U.S. and Iran have clashed since the opening of the review conference on April 27. The U.S. has accused Iran of showing “contempt” for its commitments under the treaty, while Iran has said U.S. and Israeli attacks on its nuclear facilities violated international law.

Iran is a party to the NPT, which requires countries to open all nuclear sites to inspection by the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency. But Iran has not given inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency access to nuclear sites that were bombed by the U.S. last June.

Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Washington-based Arms Control Association, said the United States insisted that Iran be named in the outcome document for its refusal to comply with its NPT obligations, including inspections, and it was. Iran objected to being singled out and insisted that the U.S. and Israel be condemned for attacking its nuclear sites, which violates the NPT, but that was not included, he said.

In speeches at the end of the conference, the United States called Iran a “prolific treaty violator” and said it had spent the conference “shirking accountability for its grotesque violations.” Iran accused the U.S. and its allies of conducting a “relentless campaign” to legitimize their “unlawful attacks” on the country and its nuclear facilities.

Kimball said the conference “showed that rhetorical support for the NPT is strong, but the foundations of the NPT are cracking due to inaction, inattention, and intransigence on the part of the major powers.”

“Much more enlightened, engaged, and pragmatic leadership and diplomacy will be needed to guard against the growing risks of an unconstrained nuclear buildup, threats to resume nuclear testing, and the risk of a nuclear-armed Iran," Kimball said.

Britain’s Rebecca Johnson, founding executive director of the Acronym Institute for Disarmament Diplomacy, had harsh criticism for both the U.S. and Russia, the two largest nuclear powers, which she said "double down on nuclear threats, blame others and try to undermine or ignore the NPT’s nuclear disarmament commitments and related agreements,” including on nuclear testing.

FILE - The symbol of the United Nations is displayed outside the Secretariat Building, Feb. 28, 2022, at United Nations Headquarters. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)