Ben Rice's 10th-inning grand slam lifts Yankees past Orioles to keep slim AL East hopes alive
New York mak es late-game surge at Camden Yards preserves playoff pursuit as bullpen stifles Orioles after a shaky start by the starter.
BALTIMORE — Ben Rice blasted a go-ahead grand slam in the top of the 10th inning, lifting the New York Yankees to a 7-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Sunday and snapping a tense moment in a 7-3 road trip.
Aaron Judge led off the inning with a walk and Cody Bellinger followed with a single to load the bases for Rice, who belted a 95 mph fastball down the middle for a 413-foot grand slam, Rice's 24th homer of the year. The blast broke a 1-1 tie and immediately gave New York the lead it would not relinquish. One out later, Jazz Chisholm Jr. homered to extend the cushion, and Anthony Volpe added an RBI single as the Yankees pulled away to 7-1 in a game that featured a tense, bullpen-driven finish. The Yankees had stranded seven runners across the sixth, seventh and eighth innings before finally breaking through in the 10th.
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Earlier, New York had nearly grabbed the lead in the sixth, but Jasson Domínguez was robbed of extra bases by Dylan Carlson in left-center as he tracked a ball to the wall and made the catch. The Orioles had briefly threatened in the fifth when Samuel Basallo connected on Camilo Schlittler's first pitch for a solo homer, staking Baltimore to a 1-0 lead.
The Yankees finally answered in the top of the sixth when Trent Grisham drew a one-out walk and Judge was plunked by a 95 mph sinker from Kyle Bradish to put runners on first and second. Rice then lined a sinking liner to left that dropped in for a single, scoring Grisham and knotting the game at 1-1.
The teams went quiet again until the 10th, when Judge opened the frame with a walk, Bellinger ripped a single to left, and Rice followed with the slam that changed the complexion of the game. Carlson's defense kept New York from adding more in the inning, but Chisholm's homer and Volpe's RBI single capped the scoring.
The Yankees' bullpen carried the load after Schlittler, who allowed just the solo homer and five hits over 5 1/3 innings with a walk and six strikeouts. Luke Weaver worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh, Devin Williams retired the side in the eighth, and David Bednar stranded the potential tying run at second in the ninth. Camilo Doval pitched the bottom of the 10th, leaving the bases loaded but closing the game to secure the win.
The win improved New York to 88-68. They enter their final homestand two games behind the Blue Jays in the AL East, with six games left, while holding the top American League wild-card spot by at least two games over the Red Sox and at least three over the Astros, who were in late-night action Sunday. Attendance was listed at 31,974 for the game, which marked the end of the Yankees' longest road trip of the season on a high note. The club will now shift its focus to closing the season at home and trying to secure a postseason berth.
Overall, the game underscored how New York balanced timely hitting with a bullpen that held the Orioles in check after an early hiccup. The Orioles, now 73-83, were attempting to extend their own deadline to finish the season strong, but the late NYY surge overwhelmed any late-inning momentum they could muster. The two teams will finish their season series in Baltimore, with the Yankees hoping for continued momentum as they chase division and playoff positioning.