Yankees pull away from Pirates in late innings

Associated Press

pittsburgh

Chris Carter spent most of the winter waiting for the phone to ring and a good portion of the spring waiting for the power that produced 41 home runs with Milwaukee last season to show up for the New York Yankees.

With one swing of the bat on Saturday, that power was finally on display. Carter delivered a pinch-hit, three-run homer in the eighth inning off reliever Felipe Rivero to lift the Yankees to an 11-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Despite tying for the National League lead in home runs in 2016, Carter languished on the free-agent market and didn’t sign with New York until mid-February. The transition from starter to platoon player has been bumpy. Carter stepped to the plate in the eighth hitting .148 on the season with no homers and just one extra-base hit.

That number doubled when Carter sent an 86 mph changeup from Rivero (1-1) beyond the center-field fence to put New York up to stay.

“This is right up there,” Carter said. “First time with the Yankees. Big situation. We needed it late in the game and I’m happy to come through when we needed it.”

Starlin Castro added a three-run shot of his own and Aaron Judge hit his team-high sixth home run for New York, a 457-foot blast in the ninth. Ronald Torreyes had four hits and two RBIs.

Dellin Betances (2-1) earned the win in relief, stranding a runner at third in the seventh to preserve a tie before New York took advantage of some sloppy Pittsburgh defense in the eighth.

Andrew McCutchen hit his third home run and had a sacrifice fly for Pittsburgh. David Freese added a solo home run, but the Pirates fell apart late.

Austin Romine reached on a two-out error by Pittsburgh second baseman Adam Frazier before Torreyes singled to give Carter a chance.

“It makes you feel like you’re a big part of the team when you win a game like that for a team,” New York manager Joe Girardi said. “It can get a guy going. For him, it was big for him, and it was big for us.”

The rally continued when a misplayed fly ball by McCutchen and left fielder Gregory Polanco allowed Jacoby Ellsbury to race to third base. Ellsbury scored on a wild pitch, and Aaron Hicks and Chase Headley hit back-to-back doubles to cap the five-run outburst.

All five runs were unearned. The Pirates have allowed a major league-high 15 unearned runs this season.

“I think our overall defense has got to tighten up,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “The problematic play tonight was at second base. The inning Rivero’s up there, that’s three outs. We’re off the field. It didn’t happen.”