Jazz Chisholm Jr. homers twice and drives in 5 as Yankees sink Pirates 8-5 after benches clear

NEW YORK (AP) — Jazz Chisholm Jr. homered in consecutive at-bats against All-Star Braxton Ashcraft and drove in five runs, powering the New York Yankees to an 8-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night.

Both benches and bullpens emptied after José Caballero bounced into an inning-ending double play against Pirates reliever Dennis Santana in the eighth. Santana became heated and started yelling at Caballero on the field. The right-hander was restrained by teammates Rafael Flores and Bryan Reynolds before order was restored after a few minutes without any punches or ejections.

On a night when New York squandered an early four-run cushion, Chisholm’s 10th career multihomer game and first since Sept. 2 last year helped the Yankees win for the third time in their last 12 home games.

Chisholm hit a three-run drive for a 4-0 lead in the first inning, two batters after the Pirates committed two errors on one play. Third baseman Nick Gonzales misplayed Paul Goldschmidt’s grounder into a two-base error, and Ben Rice scored when Reynolds bounced his throw from left field.

Chisholm added a two-run shot for a 6-5 lead in the third when he lifted a slider into the first row of the second deck, giving him homers in three straight plate appearances dating to Sunday night. Chisholm leaned over the plate to watch the ball stay fair before completing his home run trot.

The flashy second baseman also hit a tiebreaking homer to left-center in the eighth inning to send New York to a 2-1 win in the nightcap of Sunday’s doubleheader against the Dodgers.

Chisholm connected for his second homer off Ashcraft after rookie Esmerlyn Valdez launched a 431-foot two-run shot off Ryan Weathers into the right-field seats to give Pittsburgh a 5-4 lead in the third. Valdez became the first Pirates player since Kevin Young in 1999 to drive in a run in eight straight games and has 13 homers in his first 33 games.

Caballero followed Chisholm’s second homer with a two-run double in the third after Austin Wells reached on an infield single to load the bases.

Jared Triolo hit a two-run double and Gonzales added an RBI single in Pittsburgh's three-run second.

Angel Chivilli (1-0) worked 1 1/3 hitless innings for the win and Fernando Cruz got four outs for his second save.

Ashcraft (9-4) permitted a career-high eight runs — seven earned — and nine hits in three innings.

Pittsburgh RHP Bubba Chandler (3-8, 4.77 ERA) opposes New York RHP Will Warren (7-4, 4.03) on Tuesday night.

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Pittsburgh Pirates catchers Henry Davis (32) and Rafael Flores Jr. keep pitcher Dennis Santana from going after New York Yankees' José Caballero during the ninth inning of a baseball game, Monday, July 20, 2026 in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

Pittsburgh Pirates' Gregory Soto, left, exchanges words with New York Yankees' José Caballero (72), right, during the ninth inning of a baseball game, Monday, July 20, 2026 in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

New York Yankees' Cody Bellinger, center left, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. (13) celebrate after Chisholm's home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning of a baseball game, Monday, July 20, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

New York Yankees' Jazz Chisholm Jr. tosses his bat after hitting a home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning of a baseball game, Monday, July 20, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

New York Yankees' Jazz Chisholm Jr. hits a home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning of a baseball game, Monday, July 20, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

NEW DELHI (AP) — Supporters of India’s youth-led Cockroach movement said Tuesday they will continue their protest in New Delhi, refusing to leave their sit-in site a day after police used tear gas and batons to disperse thousands of them as they tried to march toward Parliament.

Hundreds of protesters remained camped at Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site, under heavy police presence, saying they would stay until Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns over alleged failures in India’s examination system.

“We are going to continue our protest,” said Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party.

Monday’s confrontation between protesters and police has become one of the most significant moments in CJP's two-month campaign, which began as a satirical protest but quickly evolved into a nationwide, youth-led movement focused on exam leaks, unemployment and government accountability.

Video of police beating protesters with batons and dragging demonstrators away spread quickly on social media, fueling public outrage. Some footage showed young protesters crying and pleading with officers not to hit them, while others captured a defiant scene of youths standing their ground and enduring baton strikes.

Delhi Police said nearly 180 people were injured, including 118 security personnel and 60 protesters.

Sona Bisht, a 20-year-old student who was part of the protest, said the confrontation with police had strengthened her resolve.

“If the government thinks that doing this with Gen Z, they can stop us, then that won’t happen. We are here talking about education, talking about securing our future. And till the time our demands are not met, we will not move from here,” she said.

After nearly a month of silence, the government made its first apparent move to engage with the protesters Monday, when a senior minister held talks with movement representatives. The outreach failed to ease tensions, with leaders saying they wanted action rather than assurances, including Pradhan’s resignation, examination reforms and compensation for families of students who died by suicide after alleged exam irregularities.

Dipke accused authorities of breaking their word, saying police resorted to a baton charge after protesters were invited for talks.

Rights group Amnesty International said in a statement late Monday that the police action showed “how peaceful dissent is being suppressed in India.”

“The role of the authorities is to protect and facilitate peaceful protests, not to suppress them. The right to freedom of peaceful assembly is recognized under international human rights law and the Indian constitution,” it said.

The movement, drawing students, professionals and families, marks a rare public challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ’s government in its third term, reviving criticism over its handling of dissent and its use of force to respond to protests. It gained momentum over the weekend after prominent activist Sonam Wangchuk, whose three-week hunger strike has become a symbol of the protests, was forcibly taken to a hospital by police.

Rabina Kashyap, a 26-year-old working professional, said she joined the protest on Tuesday after seeing police use tear gas and baton charges against students.

“I have nothing to do with this protest," she said. “But this is India, this is my country, and these are my people. So I will stand by them.”

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Associated Press video journalist Piyush Nagpal contributed to this report.

Supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party scuffle with police as they attempt to march toward India's Parliament, demanding the resignation of the education minister, in New Delhi, Monday, July 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Vipin)

Security officers stand guard at the camping site of the Cockroach Janta Party at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, Tuesday, July 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Shekhar Yadav)

Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party, sits by a portrait of hunger-striking activist Sonam Wangchuk during a protest in New Delhi, Tuesday, July 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Shekhar Yadav)

A supporter of the Cockroach Janta Party holds posters of Bhagat Singh, an Indian revolutionary freedom fighter, at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, Tuesday, July 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Shekhar Yadav)

Supporters gather at the camping site of the Cockroach Janta Party at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, Tuesday, July 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Shekhar Yadav)