McMahon's grand slam and two Rice homers lift Yankees past Rays 9-2

Ryan McMahon's third-inning grand slam turned Wednesday's Rays-Yankees game into a rout. McMahon drove in five runs, Ben Rice hit his 40th and 41st homers, and New York beat Tampa Bay 9-2 at Yankee Stadium a day after the Rays clinched the American League East.

Rice started the scoring with a solo homer in the first. McMahon singled home Spencer Jones in the second, and George Lombard Jr. opened the five-run third with a solo shot. Later in that inning, McMahon connected with the bases loaded against Mason Englert, putting the Yankees ahead 7-0. MLB's official game video collects the four New York home runs and shows the swing that decided the game early. MLB's official September 23 full-game highlights show the key plays from this matchup.

Tampa Bay got a run on Jonny DeLuca's fourth-inning double, but Rice answered with his second solo homer in the bottom half. Cedric Mullins homered for the Rays in the fifth. Heliot Ramos added a sacrifice fly for New York in the eighth to complete the scoring. New York finished with 12 hits; Tampa Bay had six.

Gerrit Cole earned the win after allowing two runs on three hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out eight and walked three. Englert was charged with eight runs in 3 2/3 innings, including the slam and both Rice homers. Field Level Media reported that McMahon's five RBIs tied his career high.

The result gave the Yankees a win over the newly crowned division champion without changing Tampa Bay's title. It showed how quickly the matchup shifted: New York led by seven after three innings, and the Rays never reduced the deficit below six the rest of the night.