SAN DIEGO (AP) — Randy Arozarena, Mike Zunino, Manuel Margot and Austin Meadows hit home runs, and Tyler Glasnow struck out 10 to set a postseason record for the Tampa Bay Rays, who beat the New York Yankees 7-5 Tuesday night to even their AL Division Series at one game apiece.
The Rays had enough pop to overcome a huge game by Giancarlo Stanton, who had two home runs and four RBIs. His impressive power display included a 458-foot, three-run homer that landed under the giant video board in left field at Petco Park.
Stanton has three homers in the series and five in four postseason games. The Yankees have 13 homers in four playoff games.
Four Rays pitchers struck out 18, an MLB postseason record for a nine-inning game and a postseason record for Yankees batters.
DJ LeMahieu hit an RBI single with two outs in the ninth, but Pete Fairbanks retired Aaron Judge on a grounder with runners at the corners to earn the save.
Game 3 in the best-of-five series is Wednesday night. The Rays, who won the AL East and are the top seed, were the home team for the first two games while the Yankees will be the home team for the next two games.
ASTROS 5, ATHLETICS 2
LOS ANGELES (AP) — George Springer hit two home runs and Houston kept making more noise in the playoffs, beating Oakland to take a 2-0 lead in their AL Division Series.
Martin Maldonado also went deep for the Astros, who need one win to reach their fourth straight AL Championship Series. Game 3 is Wednesday, when Houston becomes the home team in the neutral-site matchup.
Springer put the Astros ahead to stay with a two-run drive in the third inning on a second straight 90-degree day at Dodger Stadium.
Maldonado’s solo shot in the fifth chased loser Sean Manaea in his first appearance of this postseason. Yusmeiro Petit came in and promptly gave up Springer’s second homer of the game, making it 5-2.
Springer’s 17 postseason homers tied Nelson Cruz and Jim Thome for most through a player’s first 54 postseason games. Five of them have come at Dodger Stadium, where the Astros won Game 7 of the 2017 World Series.
Winning pitcher Framber Valdez allowed two runs over seven innings in his first postseason start. He retired his final 10 batters.
Ryan Pressly got the save.
Khris Davis and Chad Pinder homered for the Athletics, who didn’t have an at-bat with a runner in scoring position.
BRAVES 9, MARLINS 5
HOUSTON (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr. made history with his leadoff homer, Travis d’Arnaud hit a tiebreaking shot in Atlanta’s huge seventh inning and the Braves beat Miami in Game 1 of the NL Division Series.
D’Arnaud also doubled and singled in driving in four runs, and Dansby Swanson homered during a six-run seventh to help power Atlanta.
After shutting out Cincinnati for 22 innings during a two-game sweep in the first round, the Braves relied on their bats in this opener.
Game 2 is Wednesday in Houston.
Acuña connected on Sandy Alcantara’s second pitch to become the youngest player (22 years, 293 days old) in postseason history with a leadoff home run.
Things got a little testy later when Alcantara plunked Acuña on the hip with a fastball, but both teams calmed down. Umpires warned the sides against further trouble — hard feelings in the past include Acuña being hit by Marlins pitches several times, leading to a lot of acrimony.
Will Smith pitched a perfect seventh for the win.
DODGERS 5, PADRES 1
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers had already drawn nine walks before Mookie Betts got their first hit with one out in the sixth inning, and they went ahead to stay on Corey Seager’s sacrifice fly right after that to beat NL West rival San Diego in their Division Series opener.
Mike Clevinger made it only two pitches into the second inning in his postseason debut for the Padres before leaving hurt, and their heavily worked bullpen couldn’t keep putting up zeros — or keeping runners off base, even though San Diego gave up only four hits.
Game 2 of the series, which is being played in the Texas Rangers’ new ballpark, is Wednesday night.
Los Angeles got RBI singles from Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger. Another run scored on a wild pitch. The Dodgers also got their 10th walk, matching Atlanta in 1997 for the most in a nine-inning NLDS game.
Dustin May (1-0), the 23-year-old Dodgers righty who grew up about 30 miles away in Justin, Texas, tossed two perfect innings in relief of Walker Buehler. Kenley Jansen, the fifth Los Angeles pitcher, completed a three-hitter.
Garrett Richards (0-1), the sixth of nine Padres pitchers, was gone after giving up the hit to Betts. So was rookie manager Jayce Tingler, who was ejected by plate umpire Lance Barrett when making yet another pitching change.
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