​WASHINGTON (AP) — Jazz Chisholm Jr. belted a two-run homer in the ninth inning to lift the New York Yankees to a 5-3 victory over the Washington Nationals on Friday night. The matchup featured the top two teams in the majors for home runs, and nearly every run in the game came via the long ball. Ben Rice belted his 29th of the season for the Yankees, with Jasson Domínguez and Austin Wells also going deep for New York.
Washington had taken a 3-2 lead on back-to-back homers from Keibert Ruiz and James Wood in the seventh, but the ninth inning shifted the balance. The Nationals brought in left-hander Matt Krook, who had allowed 22 earned runs in 12 2/3 big league innings dating back to 2023. Krook (0-1) gave up a one-out single to Domínguez, and Chisholm followed with his 13th homer to put the Yankees ahead for good. Wells added a solo shot off Justin Lawrence to make it 5-3.
David Bednar (3-3) earned the win in relief, working the final two innings. The Yankees remained four games behind the leading Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East race.
Rice opened the scoring with a first-inning homer off Carson Palmquist, though he left the fifth inning after fouling a pitch off his right leg; he stayed in the game. By that point, Domínguez had already given New York a 2-1 edge with a homer off Zack Littell in the fourth.
The game was delayed two hours at the start, and wet field conditions may have hindered Washington from tying it in the sixth. New York starter Ryan Weathers allowed a one-out double to CJ Abrams, and Jacob Young followed with a single. Abrams appeared poised to score, but slipped rounding third and had to hold at the base. Fernando Cruz then came in and struck out the next two hitters to escape the jam.
New York’s Paul Goldschmidt snapped an 0-for-34 drought with a first-inning single and later reached on an infield hit in the sixth. Amed Rosario, the Yankees’ shortstop, struck out in all three of his plate appearances and committed two errors at third before being pinch-hit for. Cam Schlitter (9-5) was scheduled to start Saturday against Miles Mikolas of the Nationals.
The Yankees’ offensive fireworks continued in this high-scoring, home-run-heavy clash, underscoring the power on both sides as the season rolls onward.