Cam Schlittler pitched six stellar innings to best Jacob deGrom and Aaron Judge homered for the third straight game as the visiting New York Yankees hung on for a 3-2 victory over the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night in Arlington, Texas.
The Yankees won for the 10th time in 11 games and Schlittler (4-1) turned in their 11th scoreless outing by a starting pitcher through their first 30 games. Schlittler allowed three hits, struck out eight and walked two.
It is Schlittler’s fourth start without allowing an earned run. He ended the night with 49 strikeouts in 41 2/3 innings. He threw 64 of 92 pitches for strikes and struck out Corey Seager twice a night after Max Fried fanned the shortstop three times in Monday’s 4-2 win.
The Yankees mustered a run on three hits in six innings against deGrom (2-1). The two-time Cy Young award winner struck out five and walked none as Texas lost for the first time in his six starts this season.
Cody Bellinger hit an RBI double in the first inning off the top of the right-center field fence after Judge had a two-strike single. Bellinger also made a nice catch at the warning track in left field on Brandon Nimmo in the first.
Austin Wells added a homer in the seventh off Jalen Beeks to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead. Judge hit a 424-foot shot into the second deck in left field in the ninth off Cole Winn and tied Chicago White Sox rookie Munetaka Murakami for the major league lead with 12.
Schlittler did not encounter any significant trouble until the sixth. After Nimmo singled and Josh Jung walked on four pitches, Schlittler struck out Seager on three pitches before retiring Joc Pederson and Jake Burger.
Brent Headrick stranded two in the seventh by fanning Nimmo, and Fernando Cruz stranded two in the eighth. Cruz made a backhanded catch Joc Pederson’s bunt groundout before using his splitter for strikeouts of Burger and pinch hitter Ezequiel Duran.
David Bednar allowed an RBI triple to Danny Jansen in the ninth when center fielder Trent Grisham slammed into the fence and an RBI single to Jung. Bednar secured his ninth save, however, by getting Seager to bounce into a double play to end the game.
