Sports

Yankees Squander Golden Opportunity In 9th, Lose To Dodgers 2-1

August 24, 2019 / 9:29 PM EDT / CBS New York

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LOS ANGELES (CBSNewYork/AP) — Kenley Jansen escaped a bases-loaded jam in a bizarre ninth inning that saw both managers on the field trying to figure out what happened, and the Los Angeles Dodgers held off the New York Yankees 2-1 Saturday.

With many in the sellout crowd of 53,803 at Dodger Stadium on their feet, Jansen struck out Mike Tauchman and pinch-hitter Gary Sánchez to end a matchup between the teams with the best records in baseball.

But it was the play right before that to load the bases that left most everyone in the ballpark wondering what was going on.

There were runners at first and second with one out when Gio Urshela hit a grounder to third baseman Justin Turner, who looked to start a game-ending double play. Second baseman Max Muncy caught Turner's flip but then got wiped out by Brett Gardner's hard slide for an apparent forceout.

Gleyber Torres, who had started the play on second base, rounded third and then headed home with Muncy down on the ground, trying to score the tying run. Instead, Torres was stopped by the umpires because time had been called.

The strange sequence set off a 2-minute replay review. Gardner was called safe at second, beating the throw with a hard but legal slide. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts didn't appear to think Gardner was safe, while Yankees manager Aaron Boone came out, too, seemingly to seek clarification on why Torres wasn't allowed to score.

A day after the Yankees routed the Dodgers 10-2, the clubs played a tight game that have some fans predicting will be an October preview.

Turner hit a two-run homer in the third. After two games without a homer, the Dodgers got their National League-leading 226th.

Aaron Judge homered for the second straight day, connecting in the fourth.

Jansen earned his 27th save and first since Aug. 6 after a sixth blown save earlier in the week.

Making just his fourth career start, rookie Tony Gonsolin outlasted six-time All-Star CC Sabathia in 89-degree heat.

Gonsolin (2-1) allowed one run, struck out two and walked two, giving the right-hander 23 innings under his belt since his major league debut on June 26 compared to 3,567 for Sabathia.

Joe Kelly and Pedro Baez kept the Yankees scoreless over the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, stranding three baserunners. Baez struck out the side in the eighth, capped by Judge's powerful swing-and-miss.

Sabathia (5-8) gave up two runs and five hits in four innings, tying his second shortest outing of the season. He struck out seven and walked one. The left-hander, nearing the end of his 19th and final big league season, was making his second start since coming off the injured list with right knee inflammation.

Turner's 23rd homer of the season landed in the left-field pavilion and scored Gonsolin, who had reached on an infield single.

Judge drew the Yankees to 2-1 with his 98th career homer leading off the fourth. It was New York's 58th homer in August, tying the major league record for most in a month shared by Baltimore in 1987 and Seattle in 1999.

TRAINER'S ROOM:

RHP Dellin Betances (lat muscle) threw a 20-pitch batting practice session at the minor league complex in Tampa, Florida.

RHP Luis Severino (lat muscle) said he felt fine after throwing a two-inning simulated game Thursday. He's scheduled for another simulated game Tuesday and then could start a minor league rehab assignment.

MEN IN BLACK AND WHITE:

The teams' uniforms for the Players' Weekend series are drawing heat on social media. The Yankees are wearing black and the Dodgers are all in white. The color schemes make it difficult to read the players' numbers and their chosen nicknames on the back.

The participants aren't crazy about them, either.

"It's not our proudest moment rockin' these all-white milkmen jerseys," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

Asked if he could compare them to anything he's worn before, Roberts said, "It was probably an ugly sweater over the holidays."

Yankees manager Aaron Boone initially liked the concept. Then reality hit.

"When I put the uniform on I felt a little silly," he said. "I'm sure I would have felt that way if I had the white one on, too."

The Dodgers reportedly requested to have the Yankees and their players both wear their traditional uniforms at least one time during the weekend series. Both uniforms are considered by many to be among the most iconic in baseball history.

That request was reportedly refused by MLB officials.

YANKEES MOVES:

Before the game, the Yankees added RHP Cory Gearrin to the active roster. ... RHP Jonathan Loaisiga was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday night.

UP NEXT:

The Yankees' unlikely ace, RHP Domingo Germán (16-3, 4.15 ERA), is averaging fewer than six innings per start this season. He'll face future Hall of Famer, LHP Clayton Kershaw (13-2, 2.71), in the series finale Sunday.