Yanks Come Back to Beat deGrom; Relievers Save Each Other. NY 7 Texas 4

May 6, 2026 paperbacklou 2026 0

The Yanks dug out of a 3-0 hole that rookie starter Elmer Rodriguez put them in during the 1st inning, and came back to beat Jacob deGrom and the Texas Rangers 7-4 on a warm Tuesday night in the Bronx.

Rodriguez rebounded to pitch shutout ball into the 5th, and then Yankee relievers tag-team saved each other for 4.1 innings of strong relief.

Brent Headrick was first, coming in with bases loaded, 2 out in a 3-3 tie in the 5th and getting a huge strikeout to end the inning. Fernando Cruz then saved Tim Hill, relieving him in the 7th with runners on 1st and 2nd and only 1 out in a 4-3 game and getting strikeout and popup to end the threat. Then Cruz needed saving in the 8th, with bases loaded and only 1 out in a 6-3 game, and David Bednar stepped in and got strikeout and popup to end that threat.

Ryan McMahon hit a huge 2-run HR off deGrom in the 2nd to tie the game 3-3, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. struck for a 2-out solo HR in the 6th to put NY ahead 4-3. McMahon got to deGrom again with a 1-out single in the 7th, which started a rally that culminated in a clutch, 2-out, 2-RBI double by Cody Bellinger to put NY up 6-3.

And then Paul Goldschmidt added insurance with a solo HR in the 8th for a 7-3 lead.

“Unbelievable game,” said manager Aaron Boone afterwards. “In the 1st there, we’re short in the pen and you’re just kind of thinking of ways you can finish the game. Credit to Elmer for picking himself up and giving us 4 and 2/3 after a rough start there. And just so many good at bats to pull us back, and then take the lead. And then the pen did a great job of handing it off to one another. So that was a really good one right there.”

“Just having a hard time getting settled,” added Boone about Elmer. “Credit to him — it could have really gotten away there.”

NY improves to 25-11, the 2nd best record in baseball behind Atlanta (26-11) — yet remain only 1.5 ahead of Tampa which is also red hot (11-1 in their last 12).

1. Rodriguez Wild in 1st But Rebounds

Rookie Elmer Rodriguez, starting his 2nd MLB game, was wild at first — walking the first 2 batters of the game (centerfielder Evan Carter and shortstop Corey Seager), then allowing a single to Josh Jung to load the bases with nobody out.

A sac fly by Joc Pederson made it 1-0 Texas, and an RBI single by Ezequiel Duran made it 2-0.

Rodriguez got a groundout, but hit Alejandro Osuna with a pitch to re-load the bases, then threw a wild pitch to score Jung and make it 3-0.

Finally Rodriguez got a groundout to end the 1st — but NY was down 3-0 and Jacob deGrom was starting for Texas. The game looked lost already.

But Elmer settled down, pitching a shutout 2nd thru 4th inning — scattering a 1-out double in the 2nd, a 1-out walk in the 3rd erased by a double play, and a 2-out single in the 4th.

2. Judge and Bellinger Get to deGrom — Make It 3-1

Meanwhile the Yanks got a run back right away in the bottom of the 1st when Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger hit back-to-back, 1-out doubles for a 3-1 game.

3. McMahon 2-Run HR Off deGrom Ties It 3-3

With Ben Rice out due to an injured wrist, Paul Goldschmidt played 1st and singled off deGrom to start the bottom of the 2nd. An out later, lefty Ryan McMahon hit a 359-foot HR to right for a 3-3 game.

4. Headrick Saves Rodriguez in 5th

Rodriguez got into trouble again in the 5th — allowing a 1-out single to Josh Jung, and a 2-out infield single to Duran, and walking Jake Burger to load the bases with 2 outs in the 3-3 game.

In came Brent Headrick the big 6’6 lefty, and he stranded them all by striking out Sam Haggerty swinging on an 83-MPH, 0-2 slider. HUGE.

According to Katie Sharp, “Brent Headrick has now inherited 13 runners this season. He has allowed 0 of them to score. That’s the most inherited runners without allowing any to score by a pitcher this season.”

Brent Headrick then pitched a 1-2-3 shutout inning in the top of the 6th, with 2 strikeouts.

5. Jazz HR Off deGrom Puts NY Up 4-3 in 6th

After the HR to McMahon in the 2nd, deGrom got back into a groove and mowed thru the Yankee lineup — retiring 13 of the next 14 batters — allowing just a 1-out walk to Cody Bellinger in the 3rd and pitching a 1-2-3 inning in the 4th and 5th. But with 2 outs in the 6th, Jazz Chisholm got him for a 413-foot solo HR to right center and a 4-3 Yankee lead.

6. Fernando Saves Hill in 7th

Tim Hill came in for the top of the 7th, and allowed consecutive 1-out singles to Josh Jung and Kyle Higashioka.

In came Fernando Cruz in the 4-3 game, and he struck out Duran and got Jake Burger to pop out to end the threat.

7. Bellinger 2-RBI Double Puts NY Up 6-3 in 7th

deGrom pitched into the 7th, but was yanked after a red-hot Ryan McMahon singled off him with 1 out, and Jose Caballero followed with a bunt single to 3rd.

Jaden Beeks came in and got Trent Grisham to fly out to center — McMahon moving to 3rd. With 1st and 3rd and 2 outs, Texas opted to intentionally walk Aaron Judge — moving Jose Caballero to 2nd base (maybe they thought he would steal 2nd anyway).

That loaded the bases for Cody Bellinger, who ripped a Clutch, 2-out, 2-RBI double to right for a 6-3 Yankee lead.

8. Bednar Saves Fernando in 8th

Fernando Cruz go the first out of the 8th, but then hit Danny Jansen with a pitch, allowed a single to Andrew McCutchen, and walked Evan Carter to load the bases with 1 out in the 6-3 game.

In came David Bednar — and he struck out Corey Seager and got Josh Jung to pop out to 2nd to hold the score at 6-3. HUGE.

9. Goldschmidt Insurance HR in 8th

Paul Goldschmidt hit a 366-foot HR to right center in the bottom of the 8th off Tyler Alexander for an important insurance run — making it 7-4 NY.

Bednar stayed for the 5-out save, allowing a 1-out triple to Duran in the 9th, then an RBI groundout by Jake Burger to make it 7-4, and a groundout by Justin Foscue for the old ballgame.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401815218

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