ARLINGTON, Texas — There was not much left for the Yankees to salvage from their road trip, but at least there is this: They flew home still clinging to a playoff spot with 47 games to go.
If things had followed the script of the first two games of this series, the Rangers would have finished off a sweep on Wednesday afternoon and leapfrogged the Yankees for the third and final AL wild-card spot.
Instead, the Yankees bullpen was handed a late lead and hung on for dear life to snap a five-game losing streak and remain locked into playoff position, at least for now.
David Bednar secured a gutsy five-out save on 42 pitches, leaving the tying run at second base, to lift the Yankees to a 3-2 win over the Rangers at Globe Life Field.
“That’s a dawg effort right there,” manager Aaron Boone said.
“He was able to put the team on his back right there and win the game,” added Carlos Rodón.
After striking out a pair of batters in the eighth, Bednar struck out the first two batters in the ninth before a walk and a single. At that point, Boone walked to the mound thinking he was going to pull Bednar (at 35 pitches) for Camilo Doval, who had pitched on back-to-back days but was available in an emergency, which this was turning into.
“I said, ‘I’m going to take you out,’ ” Boone said. “He gave me a look like, ‘No you’re not.’ So I said, ‘You sure?’ He’s like, ‘Yeah, let’s go, I got this guy.’ ”
Bednar, who has been a Yankee for less than a week, rewarded his new manager’s faith by punching out Adolis García to end it.
“I just wanted to bear down and get that last one,” said Bednar, whose 42 pitches were his most since 2022. “That was huge for [Boone] to allow me an opportunity to do that and I’m glad I was able to come through.”
After starter Carlos Rodón was lifted, relievers Mark Leiter Jr., Tim Hill, Yerry De los Santos and Bednar combined to record the final 12 outs of a pressure-packed game the Yankees (61-54) desperately needed to have — especially coming off back-to-back games squandered by the bullpen, Devin Williams in particular. By taking the finale, the Yankees moved 1 ¹/₂ games ahead of the Rangers (60-56) for the third wild card.
Paul Goldschmidt broke a tie in the seventh inning, homering as a pinch hitter for the winning run. The veteran first baseman, batting for Austin Wells against lefty reliever Robert Garcia, hit his second homer in three games — both off lefties, whom he has crushed all season — after going 31 games without one.
Rodón lasted just five-plus innings, becoming the seventh straight Yankees starter who failed to record an out in the sixth inning — which has not helped a struggling bullpen. The left-hander only gave up two runs, but scattered six hits and walked four — making it 15 free passes over his past four starts.
That put more onus on the Yankees bullpen, which did not have Luke Weaver or Williams available after pitching on back-to-back days, forcing Boone to piece together the final four innings.
Leiter, making his first appearance in a month after going on the injured list for a left fibular head stress fracture, relieved Rodón and used a double play to get out of the sixth inning.
Hill came on for the seventh and got two outs, but put two on before De los Santos entered and eventually left the bases loaded by getting Garcia to fly out.
De los Santos then got the first out of the eighth, at which point the Rangers sent up the lefty-swinging Joc Pederson as a pinch hitter, leading Boone to go to Bednar earlier than he would have liked.
“Just a good job by all those guys down there of playing a real meaningful role behind Rodo,” Boone said.
The bullpen has largely been their weakest link since the start of July, but the Yankees believe it can become a strength with the additions of former closers Bednar and Doval, plus getting guys like Williams back on the right track.
On Wednesday, at least for one day, that came to fruition as they walked a tightrope to a win
“[Bednar] is a competitor out there and he wanted the ball and wanted to get the out,” said Goldschmidt, who faced the ex-Pirate plenty in the NL Central. “I have a lot of confidence in him. Just a great, great job by him. We really needed it.”
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