The lead changed hands four times at Nationals Park on Sunday, and it was the Yankees who held it last. New York rallied from a 3-2 deficit with two runs in the eighth inning and one more in the ninth to beat Washington 5-3, pushing their winning streak to four.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYY | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 1 |
| WSH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
The game's decisive swing came from Ben Rice in the eighth. With the Nationals leading 3-2, Rice tripled to left, scoring Max Schuemann and Trent Grisham to put New York ahead 4-3. It was the go-ahead play the Yankees would not relinquish. Rice finished 1-for-4 with 2 RBI on the night, carrying a .279 average with 29 home runs and 68 RBI on the season. Jose Caballero added an insurance run in the ninth with a sacrifice fly to center that scored Cody Bellinger, making it 5-3.
Washington had reasons to feel good through seven innings. James Wood opened the scoring with a 434-foot home run to center in the first, his 28th of the season. Curtis Mead answered New York's fifth-inning go-ahead run with a solo shot to center in the sixth to tie it at 2-2. Then, in the seventh, Nuñez scored on a throwing error by second baseman Jazz Chisholm to give the Nationals a 3-2 lead — a lead that lasted only one inning.
Cade Cavalli gave Washington a quality start, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits over 6 innings with 5 strikeouts and a 3.83 ERA. The bullpen could not hold the margin. Andrew Alvarez took the loss, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits over 2 innings, falling to 2-3. For New York, Will Warren started and allowed 1 run over 5 innings. Ryan Yarbrough earned the win in relief to improve to 2-0, and Paul Blackburn recorded his first save of the season, throwing 2 scoreless innings.
The Yankees improved to 54-42 and have won four straight. Washington fell to 48-49, dropping their third consecutive game.