Phillies, Yankees play to 5-5 tie in Grapefruit League opener
The Phillies and Yankees played to a 5-5 tie at Bright House Field in their Grapefruit League opener.
CLEARWATER -- Aaron Judge's three-run homer dashed the Phillies' chance to celebrate a victory in Tuesday's official spring opener, knotting the game 5-5 in the ninth that went into the books as a tie after Philadelphia failed to score in the bottom of the inning.
The Phillies were just one strike away when Judge hammered Mario Hollands' 3-2 pitch just over the wall in left-center. Left fielder Aaron Altherr leaped in an attempt to snag the ball, but watched it elude his glove.
The blast capped a four-run ninth for the Yankees, after Mason Williams doubled to open the inning and came around on Jake Cave's two-out single. Slade Heathcott also singled to keep the inning alive for Judge to come to the plate.
Hollands was lifted after Judge's homer, with Luis Garcia notching the final out.
The Phillies had a chance to win it in the bottom of the ninth when Cord Phelps singled and went to second as Odubel Herrera was hit by a Chasen Shreve pitch with one out. But Andres Blanco fouled out to first and Altherr took a called third strike to end it.
Ryan Howard had two hits to lead the Phillies, driving home Freddy Galvis to tie the game in the fourth after the Yankees had scored one in the first. Cody Asche put Philadelphia ahead later in the inning with a sacrifice fly.
The Phillies added a run in the fifth when Cameron Rupp came home on a balk. Two more runs in the seventh pushed the lead to 5-1 before things went south in the ninth.
The Yankees banged out 13 hits, but struggled to convert them into runs. They came away empty in the eighth when Jeanmar Gomez worked himself out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam by retiring Rob Refsnyder on a popup and John Ryan Murphy on a grounder to second.
The teams will meet again Wednesday at Steinbrenner Field, with Kevin Slowey scheduled to start for the Phillies. The Yankees have tabbed Nathan Eovaldi as their starter.