Carlos Rodón allowed three hits in eight sharp innings and the New York Yankees prevented the Tampa Bay Rays from clinching the AL East title with a 2-0 victory in the opener of a day-night doubleheader on Tuesday. The Yankees (90-66) moved six games ahead of the Red Sox for the AL’s top wild-card spot. Tampa Bay (95-61) has a magic number of two to clinch the AL East for the fifth time in team history and first since 2021. Cody Bellinger hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning off Tampa Bay starter Nick Martinez (15-5) and also started a key double play to end the sixth by throwing out Victor Mesa Jr. at first. Rodón (7-3) struck out eight and walked none while completing eight innings for the first time since July 11, 2025, against the Cubs. The left-hander, who recorded his 100th win, became the 18th active pitcher to reach 1,500 career strikeouts when he fanned Jonny DeLuca on a slider for the second out of the eighth. Rodón also struck out AL MVP candidate Junior Caminero on a slider in the dirt in the seventh with a runner on after reaching 98 mph on the previous two pitches. Rodón threw first-pitch strikes to 15 of 25 hitters and improved to 3-1 in seven starts since returning from left elbow inflammation last month. Following a double by Ben Rice off Martinez in the fourth, Bellinger lifted the next pitch into the right field seats for a 2-0 lead. After a single by Mesa started the sixth, Richie Palacios lifted a fly ball to Bellinger. Bellinger made the catch and a strong one-hop throw to first baseman Luis García Jr. to easily complete the double play and get his eighth outfield assist this year. Martinez allowed two runs and five hits in six innings. The right-hander struck out seven and lost for the first time since July 9. David Bednar retired Yandy Díaz for his 35th save in 39 chances and finish New York’s 15th shutout in 2 hours, 2 minutes - the Yankees’ fastest game this season. Join JAY BERMAN for the Yankees Postcast!!! Everydayer ClubIf you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everyday... Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! AmazonThis Back To School Season, spend less on your kids, with Amazon. With Amazon’s low Back To School Prices, just spend less on your kids. Because every dollar you don’t spend on them, is a dollar you haven’t spent on them. StanceCheck out the ICON collection from Stance—premium comfort, performance, and durability designed for whatever your day brings.Use promo Code LOCKEDON at checkout for 20% off your purchase. Learn more at https://Stance.com.Stance. The Official Sock Partner of Major League Baseball. Dose DailyReady to give your liver the support it deserves?Head to https://DoseDaily.co/LOCKEDONMLB or enter LOCKEDONMLB to get 35% off your first subscription. OdooGreat organizations win because operations matter. And that’s why you should get Odoo. Try for free today at https://Odoo.com/lockedon. Clutch ParlaysGo to https://ClutchParlays.com today and use code LOCKEDON for your first month free on a monthly plan. Pick Smarter. Parlay Sharper. KALSHIFor a limited time, Download the Kalshi app and use code [LOCKEDON] to get $10 when you trade $10. GametimeToday's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply. FanDuelToday's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Join all the action at https://FANDUEL.COM to play Daily Dingers and make your free pick on who’s hitting a homer this MLB season. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
