Baseball

Shohei Ohtani Has An RBI Single; Teoscar Hernández Powers Dodgers to 11-3 Win over Yankees

AP Photo/Frank Franklin II
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, of Japan, follows through on an RBI single during the third inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Saturday, June 8, 2024, in New York.

12:54 JST, June 9, 2024

NEW YORK (AP) — Teoscar Hernández homered twice and drove in six runs, including a grand slam that helped power the Los Angeles Dodgers past the New York Yankees 11-3 on Saturday night for their second consecutive victory in this marquee matchup.

Kiké Hernández also went deep and Shohei Ohtani had an RBI single to back rookie Gavin Stone (7-2), who has won three straight starts and five of his last six.

AP Photo/Frank Franklin II
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, of Japan, hits an RBI single during the third inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Saturday, June 8, 2024, in New York.

After handing New York (45-21) just its third series loss this season, the Dodgers (41-25) will try to cap their first visit to the Bronx since 2016 with a three-game sweep Sunday night.

Aaron Judge hit two homers for the Yankees, giving him a major league-high 23, but they’ve managed only three runs in 23 innings at the plate since slugger Juan Soto exited Thursday night’s win over Minnesota with a forearm injury.

The frustration showed when Giancarlo Stanton slammed his bat after popping up to end the seventh.

In a highly anticipated meeting between first-place teams billed as a potential World Series preview, Teoscar Hernández has stolen the spotlight from the five MVPs on both sides of the field. His two-run double in the 11th inning Friday night broke a scoreless tie in Los Angeles’ 2-1 victory, and his solo homer in the second off Nestor Cortes (3-5) got the Dodgers going Saturday.

Two walks by reliever Tommy Kahnle and the 10th error this year by second baseman Gleyber Torres loaded the bases in the eighth, and Hernández connected on a 2-2 changeup for his fifth career slam and 18th two-homer game — his second this season.

It was his second drive of the night into the Dodgers’ bullpen in left-center and this one had teammates jumping around as the fired-up outfielder rounded the bases on his 15th home run of the season, opening an 8-2 cushion.

The six RBIs equaled a career high for Hernández, accomplished three times. Freddie Freeman added a two-run double in the ninth.

AP Photo/Frank Franklin II
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Teoscar Hernández (37) celebrates with teammates Will Smith (16), Mookie Betts (50) and Shohei Ohtani (17), of Japan, after hitting a grand slam during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Saturday, June 8, 2024, in New York.

Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia replaced Stone with the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth and retired Anthony Volpe to protect a 4-2 lead, much to the delight of the many Dodgers fans in the sellout crowd of 48,374 — the largest this season at Yankee Stadium.