NEW YORK (AP) — Gleyber Torres hit a game-ending home run leading off the ninth inning and the New York Yankees beat the Texas Rangers 2-1 Sunday in the opener of a doubleheader.
Torres gave the Yankees their third win of the season when he lifted a 3-1 sinker from John King (1-1) to the short porch in right field. His fourth home run this year propelled New York to its 12th win in 13 games.
Torres also had a game-ending single on April 23 against Cleveland. His seven walk-off hits are the most in the majors since 2018, and this was his second game-ending home run.
“The bigger the situation, the more the level of concentration seems to increase a little bit,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Cold day out there, it was good to see him hit one.”
Giancarlo Stanton hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning after Rangers starter Dane Dunning blew his no-hitter on Aaron Judge’s infield single to lead off the inning.
Kole Calhoun homered on Yankees starter Gerrit Cole’s final pitch, but the Rangers made three errors and snapped a four-game winning streak.
Cole allowed one run on five hits in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out 10, walked one and threw a season-high 114 pitches, reaching 100.6 mph.
It was the most pitches thrown by any starter in the majors this season. It was also Cole’s most pitches since he threw 116 on Sept. 1 against the Angels. He left for the seventh after pressuring Boone to stay.
“I felt really good,” Cole said. “I think I ran every one of the pitches in the previous inning. I know we have a doubleheader today and I just want you to know, ‘Hi, I’m fine.’”
Cole allowed three of his hits in the first two innings, throwing 47 pitches. After allowing his only walk, Cole retired 14 of 15 batters before Calhoun connected.
“After they made him work hard there the first two innings, I thought he kind of settled in and got a pretty good rhythm on all of his pitches,” Boone said.
Dunning allowed one run on two hits in six innings. He struck out five, walked three and none of his 100 pitches went above 90.8 mph.
“I was getting some weird looks on some shifts, and some shifts that I started from the outside and came back on,” Dunning said. “He was also taking a couple of bad hits.”
Calhoun ended Cole’s bid for a third straight scoreless start when he hit a 97.6 mph fastball on a full count to the right field seats and just inside the free throw line with one out in the seventh inning.
It was the only fastball Cole threw in the seventh.
“Just serious damage,” Cole said. “They just beat me.”
Dunning missed his no-bid on his 86th pitch when Judge hit an infield single to third baseman Brad Miller and easily overshot the pitch. Anthony Rizzo followed with a single that moved Judge to third, and Stanton’s fly ball to left field gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead.
Jonathan Loáisiga followed Cole with 1 2/3 innings. Clay Holmes (3-0) drew Mitch Garver’s double in the ninth.
COACHES ROOM
Rangers: RHP Josh Sborz was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock as the 27th man for a doubleheader.
Yankees: OF Tim Locastro (left wing tug) was placed on the 10-day disabled list and will be out for a few weeks. Locastro said he was hurt when he stole second as a pinch runner in the ninth inning of Monday’s 3-2 win at Toronto. … RHP Ron Marinaccio was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and Boone said the Yankees will likely keep an additional pitcher until Game 1 of a four-game series in Chicago on Thursday. … OF Estevan Florial was added to the list as the 27th man.
NEXT: Texas RHP Glenn Otto (1-0, 2.89) takes on New York LHP Jordan Montgomery (0-1, 2.88 ERA) in game two.
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