Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a tiebreaking homer with one out in the eighth inning Sunday night as the New York Yankees held on for a 2-1 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers, splitting a doubleheader in a bullpen game for both teams.
After wasting numerous opportunities earlier to expand a 1-0 lead, the Yankees regained the lead when Chisholm lifted a 1-0 fastball off Evan Phillips (0-1) into the lower rows of the left-center field seats. It was the second baseman’s 14th homer and his fifth in the eighth inning or later.
Before Chisholm homered, the Dodgers had two on in the top half of the eighth. David Bednar (4-3) struck out Shohei Ohtani and retired Andy Pages on a full-count pop-up that Chisholm caught in shallow right field.
Bednar kept the game tied after Fernando Cruz allowed a tying homer to pinch hitter Tommy Edman on an 0-1 splitter and issued two walks. Bednar opened the ninth by walking Freddie Freeman but ended New York’s second win in its last 11 home games by retiring the next three batters.
New York used five pitchers in the nightcap after Cam Schlittler lasted 4 1/3 innings in an 8-2 loss on Sunday afternoon. Ryan Yarbrough started and allowed two hits in 2 2/3 innings. Paul Blackburn followed with 2 1/3 innings, and Brent Headrick also tossed two scoreless innings before Cruz faltered.
Despite Edman’s heroics, the Dodgers lost for the sixth time in 10 games.
Los Angeles used seven pitchers after getting a complete game four-hitter from Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the opener. Will Klein started the game and allowed Cody Bellinger’s RBI single among three hits in the first.
After a double by Paul Goldschmidt, Bellinger ripped a single to center for a 1-0 lead. Jasson Dominguez followed with another base hit, but Chisholm struck out. The Yankees had runners at second and third with one out in the fourth following two walks and a wild pitch, but Anthony Volpe was thrown out at the plate and Trent Grisham grounded out to come up empty.
New York opened the fifth with three straight singles off Jack Dreyer but did not score. Brock Stewart replaced Dreyer and left the bases loaded by sandwiching two strikeouts around a popout.
Alex Vesia struck out the side in the seventh for the Dodgers before the Yankees lost and regained the lead.
