Max Muncy's go-ahead HR lifts Dodgers past Yankees 2-1
Max Muncy crushed a go-ahead two-run home run in the seventh inning Friday, lifting the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 2-1 win over the New York Yankees after Gerrit Cole talked manager Aaron Boone out of a pitching change following a Mookie Betts walk.
The blast — Muncy's 19th homer — flipped a pitchers' duel at Yankee Stadium and spoiled a strong outing from Cole in New York's series opener against Los Angeles.
Key Takeaways
- Max Muncy's two-run homer in the seventh gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead they never relinquished.
- Gerrit Cole struck out eight over six-plus innings but hung a slider after talking Boone into leaving him in.
- The Yankees' only run scored in the fourth on a Jasson Domínguez double, an error, and a passed ball.
- New York's eighth-inning rally ended when Trent Grisham was thrown out at the plate.
How did Max Muncy beat Gerrit Cole?
With the Yankees up 1-0 to start the seventh, Cole walked Betts on six pitches as his pitch count climbed toward a season-high 103. Boone visited the mound “feeling the situation out,” with Fernando Cruz and Brent Headrick ready, according to MLB.com.
“You got one more in you?” Boone asked. “Of course,” Cole replied. Boone later said he probably should have grabbed him.
Cole got ahead of Muncy 0-2, thought a slider nicked the corner, then missed his spot on another slider. Muncy drove it into the second deck in right field for the go-ahead shot.
What went wrong for the Yankees' offense?
New York managed just one run against Roki Sasaki. Domínguez doubled in the fourth, advanced on an error, and scored on a passed ball. The bats stayed quiet otherwise — as Trent Grisham put it, sometimes you score one.
In the eighth, Grisham walked and Ben Rice doubled to right-center off Alex Vesia. Waved home, Grisham was cut down on a relay from Andy Pages to Betts to catcher Dalton Rushing.
Why does this Dodgers-Yankees rematch matter?
Friday marked another charged chapter since the 2024 World Series, when Cole's Game 5 start still left scars in the Bronx clubhouse. Cole's 10th start since returning from Tommy John surgery looked like a gem until the final batter.
“You've got to keep making pitches, especially against a great team like the Dodgers,” Cole said afterward.
Catch the next wave of score alerts and where to watch big series games in our Streaming & TV Alerts hub on BlasterPost.