Yankees stun Tigers with 9th inning comeback in 1st walk-off win of season

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NEW YORK — Squandering run-scoring opportunities has been a trend for the Yankees of late.

They were 1-for-18 with runners in scoring position over four games in Baltimore earlier this week, a disappointing series where the Yankees managed to score just six runs, dropping three-of-four to their division rival.

Throughout their first eight innings on offense on Friday night, those woes continued. The Yankees had just two hits and nine strikeouts. They flopped every time a runner reached scoring position. Their big boys in the middle of the lineup were a non-factor, staring down the barrel of their sixth shutout loss in 34 games.

But all of that changed in the bottom of the ninth.

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RESTORING THE GLORY

Facing Tigers closer Jason Foley, with the heart of their order due up, the Yankees battled back — without recording an out — to stun Detroit and secure their first walk-off win of the season, a 2-1 victory in the Bronx.

An Aaron Judge single back up the middle set the tone with the Yankees, trailing 1-0 at the time. Alex Verdugo followed with a bunt single down the third-base line, catching Detroit napping and putting the winning run on base.

Giancarlo Stanton then stepped up and drilled a game-tying double into the corner in right field, a 115.9-mph scorcher that ignited the crowd at Yankee Stadium. Stanton was 0-for-3 with three strikeouts before that point.

Considering the Yankees were facing a sinkerballer in Foley and had grounded into two double plays already on Friday night — they lead the league with 40 so far this season — Stanton's ability to keep the ball off the ground was key.

That set the stage for Anthony Rizzo, who bounced a single up the middle, scoring Verdugo from third and kicking off a celebration on the infield dirt.

The Yankees are now 9-3 in one-run games this year, 9-4 in games following a loss. A comeback doesn't wipe away the way the Yankees performed against the Orioles or how they started Friday night's game, but it can certainly serve as a spark plug for an offense that's been going through a tough stretch.

"We've got a lot of good hitters," Boone said. "It's been a slow week for us, but you hope something like this can ignite that fire a little bit and get the offense cranking. But it's about winning. These guys have done a great job of that, [in] different ways. You gotta find ways to win in this league and they were able to find a way tonight by putting together a really, really strong inning against a good reliever."

NOTABLE

-- Marcus Stroman started for the Yankees on Friday night, limiting damage while pitching into the sixth. Command was his biggest issue for a second straight outing — the right-hander walked five batters, including three in a row to let a run score in the sixth before Boone was forced to pull the plug. Stroman had only walked five-plus batters in five starts in his entire career before these last two starts. He cited his mechanics while speaking to reporters after the game, something he is confident that he can address before his next turn in the rotation.

-- Infielder Jon Berti (left groin strain) could return from the injured list on Saturday, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before Friday's win. He played in the third game of his rehab assignment in Double-A Somerset on Thursday and had a full pregame workout at Yankee Stadium before Friday night's game.

-- Ace Gerrit Cole is scheduled to throw off a mound on Saturday, a step forward in his ongoing throwing program. He has a long way to go until he's ready to return from nerve inflammation in his elbow, though.

-- Infielder DJ LeMahieu (non-displaced fracture in right foot) resumed baseball activities this week after a setback in his rehab just over a week ago. The veteran hasn't started hitting again yet, so he'll need more time before he can restart a rehab assignment with a minor-league affiliate.

-- Reliever Nick Burdi (right hip inflammation) will pitch for Double-A Somerset on Sunday. The expectation is that Burdi will need to make only two appearances on his brief rehab assignment, if not only the one on Sunday.

LOOKING AHEAD

Saturday: Yankees vs. Tigers, 1:05 p.m., YES/MLB Network. RHP Clarke Schmidt (2-1, 3.19) vs. RHP Casey Mize (1-0, 3.18)

Sunday: Yankees vs. Tigers, 1:35 p.m., YES/MLB Network. LHP Nestor Cortes (1-3, 3.86) vs. LHP Tarik Skubal (4-0, 1.72)

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Max Goodman may be reached at mgoodman@njadvancemedia.com.

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