LDN - Sports

Rangers survive long delays in 9-6 win over Yankees

[June 28, 2016] NEW YORK -- The Texas Rangers were annoyed with one out in the top of the ninth inning when the New York Yankees asked for the tarp to be put on the field because Aroldis Chapman could not grip the ball.

Nearly four hours later, the dugout erupted in jubilation.

Adrian Beltre and Elvis Andrus created the joy with two-run singles off Kirby Yates and the Rangers left Yankee Stadium with a 9-6 win in a game that was twice delayed by rain for nearly four hours and ended 7 1/2 hours after the scheduled first pitch.

While the game was delayed, the Rangers were still thinking about getting the win.

"That's what we all were talking about," Beltre said. "The wait it was worth it."

Chapman took the mound with a heavy downpour and could not find the strike zone, prompting Yankees manager Joe Girardi to ask umpires to put the tarp on the field, though he denied that's why he went out there in his postgame press conference.

"I didn't ask him to stop the game," Girardi said. "To me, the game should have been stopped earlier than that and we played in horrible conditions. It's hard for me to understand what happened tonight, how it got to this point, but it did and we lost."

Play was halted at 10:40 p.m. and the Rangers were angry.

Players were yelling at umpires about how they had to pitch in the same conditions and manager Jeff Banister made his feelings known during an animated discussion with umpires that featured several hand gestures before he headed back to the clubhouse.

"What matters is that allowed this game to be played," he said. "What both ballclubs continue to play through. Obviously, the umpires made their decision based on the condition of the field.

"They made their decision, there's obviously agitation on both sides, but I felt like that the umpires handled the entire situation in a very professional manner."

At 1:37 a.m. Tuesday, the grounds crew and umpires re-emerged. Both managers then met with the umpires as the tarp was pulled off the field.

When the tarp was pulled off a significant puddle covered left field. Both managers then went near third base to consult with members of the grounds crew while home plate, the mound started getting raked.

Then both managers walked back to near the third base dugout to consult with their respective general managers.

At 1:44, the umpires walked off the field and the Yankees announced an approximate resumption time of 2:15.

Shortly after 2 a.m., players from both teams began loosening up as the sound system played Barry Manilow's "I Made It Through the Rain."

At 2:12, the Yankees took the field and Yates began warming up. At 2:15, Shin-Soo Choo stepped in with a 3-1 count after a delay of three hours, 35 minutes.

Yates struck out Choo but loaded the bases by hitting Ian Desmond and Nomar Mazara with pitches, prompting a visit from pitching coach Larry Rothchild.

On a 1-2 pitch, pinch-runner Jurickson Profar scored the tying run and Desmond followed the tiebreaking run on Beltre's single to left field.

After Yates hit Prince Fielder and got the second out, Andrus blooped the first pitch into right field for two more runs.

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Rangers right fielder Shin-Soo Choo (17) hits a two run single against the New York Yankees during the fourth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

"It's frustrating because he got in counts he wanted to and wasn't able to get outs," Girardi said. "It's unfortunate we lost that game."

Sam Dyson then posted his 16th save, preserving the win for Tony Barnette (4-2), though he also wobbled. He had two on with one out but finished the marathon at 2:44 a.m. by getting Jacoby Ellsbury to fly out to left field.

It was the second rain delay of the night, though the only stoppage with actual rain. An overcast sky descended upon Yankee Stadium as the afternoon ended and the first pitch was delayed 21 minutes because of the threat of rain, but the tarp was never placed on the field.

Before the delay, Mark Teixeira was one of three Yankees to get three hits, including a seventh-inning home run to put New York in front 6-4. Teixeira's fifth home run proved significant when Rougned Odor homered with one out in the eighth off Andrew Miller.

Brian McCann, Chase Headley and Starlin Castro had RBI singles and Aaron Hicks added a run-scoring groundout as the Yankees (38-37) went one game above .500 for the third time this month and did so with Alex Rodriguez benched for the second straight game.

Desmond homered and drove in two runs for Texas. Choo had a two-run double for the Rangers, who lost for only the ninth time in their last 36 games.

Neither starting pitcher lasted beyond the fifth.

New York's Ivan Nova (6-5) escaped trouble most of the night and allowed four runs and six hits. Chi-Chi Gonzalez (0-1) became the ninth starting pitcher used by the Rangers and allowed five runs and 10 hits.

NOTES: Carlos Beltran was the Yankees DH for the second straight game, but he said it's not because his knee is hurting. "I'm super good," Beltran said. "Nothing hurts right now." ... Team president Randy Levine spoke to reporters and was not pleased about answering questions from the media about the Yankees being sellers at the trade deadline. Among his comments atter a news conference to announce sponsorship agreement with StubHub were: "The difference is that most of you guys have never run anything and we have a lot of history here of knowing what we're doing." ... Texas manager Jeff Banister said LHP Derek Holland (left shoulder inflammation) is unlikely to return before the All-Star break. ... Banister also said RHP Yu Darvish (right shoulder discomfort) will pitch a live batting practice session Wednesday. ... The Yankees announced 1B Ike Davis cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

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