Yankees Beat Tampa Bay Rays: Just 1 Win Away From Playoffs
The New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-0 on Tuesday, putting them one win away from making it to the MLB playoffs.
Center fielder Curtis Granderson and right-hand pitcher Ivan Nova propelled their team to a win against the Rays, who were working to gain a wild-spot over the Boston Red Sox. Nova struck out three in 7 ⅔ innings and is the first Yankee rookie to win 12 games in a row since 1939.
Joe Girardi, Yankees manager, said he was happy about Nova’s efforts on Tuesday.
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"The distance and the no runs is what I like the most," Girardi said, according to The Los Angeles Times. "He was outstanding and did a lot of things right out there."
Granderson drove in four runs on Tuesday, helping the team get a 4-0 lead in the second inning.
"I was just trying to get them around the bases," said Granderson, according to The LA Times. "We knew it was going to be one of those games where we weren't going to get many chances so we had to take advantage of our chances."
Although Granderson helped propel his team to a win on Tuesday, he said he will not get too excited before the double header against the Rays on Wednesday.
"I think we're just trying to focus on one game at a time," Granderson said, according to Yahoo! Sports. "Can't look too much further than today, and today was the most important day, and we got to handle that."
Despite the loss that keeps them two games behind Boston for a wild card lead, the Tampa Bay team is still focused on its chance to beat the Yankees on Wednesday.
“Obviously we would have liked to gain a game, but it didn't happen," B.J. Upton, Tampa Bay center fielder said according to The LA Times. "But we also didn't lose any ground. We just have to come back out tomorrow and play a good game."
