NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez powered a long-awaited onslaught from New York’s star-studded lineup, helping the Yankees overcome two more home runs by big-league leader Shohei Ohtani to beat the Los Angeles Angels 11-5 Tuesday night.
Judge and Sanchez each homered as New York set a season-high for runs hours after Yankees general manager Brian Cashman declared his fourth-place club “as bad as we can be” amid a four-game slide.
The Yankees hadn’t scored at least 10 runs since April 30, and this was just their second time in double digits. They remain 7 1/2 games back of the AL East-leading Boston Red Sox.
Ohtani cleared the right-field fence with a pair of scorching, low drives that pushed his major league-most total to 28 — two ahead of Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Ohtani, on pace for 57 homers, also hit a ball to the warning track that was caught in the seventh. He grounded out to first for the last out of the game.
The two-way Japanese sensation has connected 11 times in 13 games, and he’s expected to be back in the lineup Wednesday night when he takes his first turn on the Yankee Stadium mound.
If Ohtani does pitch and bat second in the lineup as planned, he’ll become the second player — and first since Babe Ruth in 1933 — to start on the mound and hit in the top half of the batting order for a game in the Bronx.
He’ll face a Yankees lineup that’s suddenly come to life after entering Tuesday ranked 14th out of 15 American League teams with 310 runs.
Sanchez hit a solo shot in the first inning for his 14th of the season, and Judge’s two-run shot in the second was his team-leading 18th. Both homers came off Andrew Heaney (4-6), who was charged with seven runs in three-plus innings.
The Yankees sent nine to the plate during a five-run fourth inning that included Miguel Andujar’s homer, RBI doubles from Sanchez and Luke Voit, and a two-run single for Gleyber Torres.
Torres’ RBI was his first since June 6. The two-time All-Star was 9 for 66 (.136) with one extra-base hit since that previous RBI. He also singled, stole a base and scored on Andujar’s double in the sixth.
Andujar had three hits and drove in two, his first RBIs since June 15.
Jameson Taillon (3-4) was credited with a win despite allowing five runs in 5 1/3 innings, pushing his ERA to 5.43.
Jose Iglesias also homered for the Angels, a two-run drive in the second inning that put Los Angeles ahead 2-1. Iglesias had three hits.
New York had a chance to do further damage when Angels reliever Junior Guerra walked the bases loaded in the fifth, but the right-hander induced an inning-ending double play from Sanchez without allowing a run.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Angels: RHP James Hoyt was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake and LHP Dillon Peters was optioned to the Bees.
Yankees: RHP Darren O’Day, out since April 29 with a strained left rotator cuff, was activated and available for high-leverage innings. RHP Brooks Kriske was optioned to Triple-A. … LHP Justin Wilson (strained right hamstring) is expected to be activated Wednesday. … LHP Zack Britton had an MRI on his left hamstring that showed a Grade 1 strain. He could throw a bullpen as soon as Thursday. Britton has been hopeful of returning from the 10-day IL when he’s eligible next week. … RHP Albert Abreu was hit in the right side by a line drive in the eighth but completed the play for the final out of the inning. He appeared OK as he left the mound.
UP NEXT
Ohtani (3-1, 2.58 ERA) will oppose RHP Domingo German (4-5, 4.32 ERA).