Major League Baseball
BOXSCORE | RECAP
NY Yankees 5, Tampa Bay 4
When: 7:10 PM ET, Friday, April 17, 2015
Where: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
Temperature: Indoors
Umpires: Home - Hunter Wendelstedt, 1B - Bob Davidson, 2B - David Rackley, 3B - Jerry Layne
Attendance: 15752

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Alex Rodriguez had two home runs and drove in the go-ahead run with an eighth-inning single, leading the New York Yankees to a 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night at Tropicana Field.

Rodriguez got his first multi-homer game in nearly three years, then came through with a single to center with a full count and two outs in the eighth. His hit scored pinch-runner Brett Gardner, who had stolen second after coming in for right fielder Carlos Beltran, who reached on a shift-beating single to left field.

The Rays (6-5) drop to 1-3 at home after returning from a 5-2 road trip, while the Yankees (4-6) bounced back after losing their last two in Baltimore. Andrew Miller got the final four outs for his third save of the season, getting all three outs in the ninth on strikeouts.

The game's first eight runs all came on home runs, with Rodriguez's two-run home run tying the game in the sixth after the Rays had jumped ahead with four runs in the fourth.

The Rays trailed 2-0 in the fourth when they scored four runs on back-to-back home runs by rookie first baseman Allan Dykstra and third baseman Logan Forsythe. Designated hitter Evan Longoria had singled and left fielder Desmond Jennings had walked to set up Dykstra's first career home run. Dykstra, 27, was 1-for-15 (.067) before the home run. Forsythe followed with a solo shot for the Rays' first back-to-back home runs this season.

The Yankees had taken a 2-0 lead after three innings, their only two hits coming on solo home runs by Rodriguez and second baseman Stephen Drew. It was the third home run this season for each, with milestones on each hit.

Rodriguez's homer was the 657th of his career, moving him within three of tying Willie Mays for fourth on baseball's career home run list. He also passed longtime teammate Derek Jeter to move into ninth place on baseball's career runs list. Drew's home run was the 100th of his career, making him and brother J.D. the eighth pair of brothers ever to each reach 100 home runs.

Rays starter Nathan Karns gave up the two solo home runs, but only those hits in the first five innings, striking out seven batters and walking four.

NOTES: Rays 3B Evan Longoria was in jeopardy of ending the majors' longest current games played streak, but he extended it Friday night to 253 games as the designated hitter after he was hit on the left hip by a pitch Thursday night. Longoria also has MLB's longest consecutive starts streak at 180 games. ... With Longoria at DH, the Rays shifted Logan Forsythe to third, with hot-hitting rookie Tim Beckham starting at second. ... The Rays placed LHP Jeff Beliveau on the 15-day disabled list with left shoulder soreness and called up LHP C.J. Riefenhauser from Triple-A Durham. Tampa Bay also optioned rookie OF Mikie Mahtook to Durham and recalled 2B Ryan Brett, who was hitting .226 at Durham. The Rays tied its record with 10 players on the disabled list, last set in 2012. ... Yankees 2B Stephen Drew, hitting .148 so far this season, was at 99 career home runs entering the game. ... New York is tied for third in the majors with 13 home runs in nine games. Only the Orioles and Mariners had more entering Friday's action.
Top Game Performances
Starting Pitchers
NY Yankees   Tampa Bay
Adam Warren Player Nathan Karns
No Decision W/L No Decision
4.0 IP 5.0
2 Strikeouts 7
6 Hits 2
9.00 ERA 3.60
Hitting
NY Yankees   Tampa Bay
Alex Rodriguez Player Logan Forsythe
3 Hits 3
4 RBI 1
2 HR 1
9 TB 6
.750 Avg .750
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Hits HR TB Avg LOB K RBI BB SB Errors
NY Yankees 5 3 14 .167 9 9 5 6 1 0
Tampa Bay 8 2 14 .235 9 9 4 3 1 0