The homer, Judge’s first hit of the night, crashed into the upper deck in left at Target Field. The first-inning solo blast off of Twins ace Pablo López traveled 467 feet at 113 mph and gave the Yankees an early lead in a series-clinching victory.

AARON JUDGE HITS ONE 467 FEET! pic.twitter.com/jBTKbZVbf4

— MLB (@MLB) May 15, 2024

Judge, who also drove in a run with a seventh-inning double, had slashed .371/.500/.829 with four doubles, four homers and nine RBI over his last 10 games prior to Wednesday. The center fielder, battling some early-season struggles, was hitting .197 with a .725 OPS before that stretch.

Judge is now batting .255 with a .926 OPS following Wednesday’s performance. He’s leading the Yankees with 11 dingers, and his 29 RBI ranks second on the team.

While Judge provided the slugging, the Yankees scored their second run in the second inning when Anthony Volpe flew out to Minnesota’s Willi Castro for the second out of the frame. However, Castro thought he had corralled the third out and began jogging toward the Twins’ dugout. The boneheaded play — one of several defensive mistakes Castro has made this series — allowed Gleyber Torres to tag up and score.

The Yankees plated their third run in the third inning when Giancarlo Stanton picked up a broken-bat single.

That was the last run charged to the right-handed López, who totaled 6.1 innings, 10 hits, three earned runs, zero walks and three strikeouts over 96 pitches.

While the Yankees knocked López around, Marcus Stroman kept the Twins scoreless for six strong innings.

The righty walked three and only struck out two, but Stroman permitted just two hits over 91 pitches. Two of those walks came in the second inning, when Stroman also worked around a Volpe fielding error.

Stroman, off in his last few starts, now has a 3.33 ERA this season.

The Yankees and Twins will wrap up their series with a matinée on Thursday. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. and will be thrown by Minnesota’s Joe Ryan.

The right-hander has a 3.21 ERA through eight starts this season.

Clarke Schmidt will start the finale for the Yankees. The righty matched the longest start of his career last time out, logging 6.2 scoreless innings against the Rays on May 10.

Schmidt has a 2.95 ERA after eight starts.

Kahnle Getting Closer

Tommy Kahnle (delayed throwing program) is scheduled to make two more rehab appearances this week, according to the New York Post. Kahnle will throw on Thursday, his first time on one day’s rest, before pitching again on Sunday.

From there, it’s possible Kahnle joins the Yankees’ active roster for the first time this season.

The start — an otherwise off outing that left the Yankee self-critical after allowing four earned runs — gave Stroman 1,131 strikeouts for his career. That’s the most among pitchers who are 5-7 or shorter since 1901, according to Baseball Reference’s Stathead.com.

Stroman surpassed Dolf Luque, a fellow 5-7 right-hander. The Cuban-born, two-time World Series champ totaled 1,130 strikeouts over 20 seasons with the Boston Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Brooklyn Robins and New York Giants between 1914 and 1935.

“Oh? Fire!” an unaware Stroman said when the Daily News informed him. “Sick, man. That’s pretty cool. I like that!”

While the feat may sound like nothing more than a random stat that Stroman didn’t even know about, the 33-year-old quickly found meaning in the achievement before adding two more strikeouts over six scoreless innings against the Twins on Wednesday night.

Stroman, whose HDMH Apparel company stands for “Height Doesn’t Matter Heart,” thought back to the months leading up to his junior year at Duke in 2012. He had been speaking to major league teams, but they didn’t see him as a starter due to his stature.

“’Hey, you’re a one-inning guy. We see you as a high-leverage guy,’” Stroman remembers teams telling him. “’We see you [getting drafted] in rounds five to seven.’”

Stroman heard that he could be a “Tom Gordon-type,” a nod to the 5-9 reliever who won a Rolaids Relief Award and spent two seasons with the Yankees from 2004-2005.

While Gordon enjoyed a successful career as a reliever, Stroman wanted to start.

“Oh yeah,” he said when asked if those assessments pissed him off. “Younger me had a lot of fire. Let’s just say that. I’m way calmer now, but when I was younger, I used to pitch to prove people wrong. Now I don’t have that type of energy. Now I’m more pitching to prove myself right in a sense. But yeah, I hated it.”

Stroman took those evaluations as a challenge while transitioning to Duke’s rotation on a full-time basis as a junior.

“I was like, ‘Okay, that’s cool. I’m going to start this year. Come watch, and we’ll go from there,’” Stroman recalled telling teams. “Then I went out and I struck out the most guys in the country my junior year.”

Indeed, Stroman led all NCAA pitchers with 136 strikeouts that season. He also earned numerous All-America honors and made First Team All-ACC while recording a 2.39 ERA over 14 starts.

Stroman parlayed that performance into a first-round draft selection, going 22^nd overall to the Blue Jays in 2012. The two-time All-Star is now in his 10^th major league season.

He’s been a starter for all of them.

“For me, it was always about proving durability and longevity. So I feel like that’s just a testament to my health,” Stroman said of toppling Luque. “People don’t know how much goes into this, so it’s good to see it pay off, because this is a 24/7, 365 job for me.”

Stroman wanted to thank his personal trainer, Nikki Huffman, for his staying power. She oversaw his ACL rehab, which took place at Duke, in 2015 before becoming the Jays’ head athletic trainer. She then left Toronto to start her own business in 2019 — months after Stroman had been traded to the Mets.

“She’s everything for me,” Stroman said.

Stroman’s ACL rehab is when he began investing heavily in his nutrition, mental health and spirituality. Those deep dives led to him adding some quirky elements to his routine, including breathing exercises, candles, self-help books and grounding.

Plenty of MLB players get by without all that, but the 180-pound Stroman feels those things help him get the most out of his small frame.

“The way he goes about things and prepares and trains and treats his body lends itself to the consistency he’s had in his career,” Aaron Boone said before noting one doesn’t have to be a giant to thrive in the majors. “That’s always been one of the great things about baseball: you can be Aaron Judge’s size or Marcus Stroman or Dustin Pedroia.

“Greatness comes in a lot of shapes, sizes and packages when it comes to baseball.”

Stroman has been an example of that, and he’ll continue to be one as he keeps setting strikeout records for short guys.

While his first 1,131 strikeouts set the standard since 1901, two tiny pitchers were able to accumulate more prior to that.

As far as Baseball Reference is concerned, no short pitcher has more strikeouts than Bobby Matthews. Only 5-5, the righty totaled 1,528 strikeouts over 15 seasons with the Fort Wayne Kekiongas, Baltimore Canaries, New York Mutuals, Cincinnati Reds, Providence Grays, Boston, and Philadelphia Athletics between 1871 and 1887.

The 5-7 Ed Morris is sandwiched between Matthews and Stroman. The southpaw tallied 1,217 strikeouts over seven seasons with the Columbus Buckeyes, Allegheny City and the Pittsburgh Burghers from 1884-1890.

Told that he still trailed two pitchers from baseball’s earliest era, Stroman said that he’d like to outdo Matthews and Morris as well.

So long as his durability holds, he surely will.

“I hope to beat that,” Stroman said. “For the small people.”

Oswaldo Cabrera swiftly tied the contest in the second inning, plating Anthony Rizzo with a sacrifice fly. Anthony Volpe then gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead with an RBI double later in the inning.

The third frame saw Giancarlo Stanton hit a rocket off of Twins starter Chris Paddack. With the bases empty, Stanton crushed a changeup 427 feet at 114 miles per hour.

114 MPH off the bat.

Giancarlo Stanton only hits rockets. pic.twitter.com/7JhR58ZC1z

— MLB (@MLB) May 15, 2024

A modest shot compared to the two bombs he hit at Yankee Stadium last week, Stanton now has nine homers. That’s tied with Juan Soto for the second-highest figure on the Yankees.

Aaron Judge leads the team with 10.

The Yankees scored for a third consecutive inning when Alex Verdugo added a two-run double in the fourth.

The Bombers ultimately recorded 12 hits against Paddack, who allowed five earned runs over five innings. The right-hander also walked two and struck out four.

While Paddack struggled, Rodón dominated after Jeffers’ homer while leaning heavily on his fastball. The lefty logged six innings, permitting just the one run while totaling six hits, zero walks and six strikeouts over 102 pitches.

Rodón, who now has a 3.31 ERA, has not issued a walk in his last three starts.

With a win in the books – Clay Holmes shut the door while maintaining his spotless ERA – the Yankees will turn to Marcus Stroman on Wednesday. The righty, a bit off in his last few starts, will face Minnesota’s Pablo López.

DJ ON THE RIGHT TRACK

DJ LeMahieu is almost ready for game action… again.

The versatile infielder is expected to begin a rehab assignment this Thursday or Friday with Double-A Somerset, according to the New York Post. LeMahieu has been ramping up baseball activities over the last week, including live batting practice sessions at the Yankees’ complex in Tampa on Saturday and Tuesday.

LeMahieu also did some defensive work at Tropicana Field over the weekend with the Yankees in Tampa to play the Rays.

DJ LeMahieu doing some side to side work at second base… while Alex Verdugo plays shortstop. Don't expect to see that double play combo in a game. #Yankees pic.twitter.com/wYMrCerYIN

— Gary Phillips (@GaryHPhillips) May 12, 2024

Delayed multiple times, LeMahieu has been slowly working his way back from a nondisplaced fracture in his right foot. He suffered the injury on March 16 when he fouled a ball off of his foot in a spring training game.

LeMahieu was initially supposed to start a rehab assignment on April 19. However, that was pushed back a few days at the recommendation of doctors.

The 35-year-old started that assignment on April 23, only for him to leave the game after just one inning due to swelling in his foot. That led to another shutdown.

The Yankees and LeMahieu are hoping that his latest assignment will be free from setbacks.

Another Cole Bullpen

Gerrit Cole threw a bullpen in Tampa on Tuesday, his fourth since being diagnosed with elbow inflammation in spring training. Cole was expected to hang back in Tampa with the Yankees in Minnesota this week.

Cole threw 36 pitches, but he did not progress to two ups, or simulated innings, per the Post. He’ll have to check that box before facing live hitters.

Rehab Roundup

Elsewhere on the rehab circuit, Jasson Domínguez (UCL surgery) found himself batting second on Tuesday, the start of his rehab assignment with Single-A Tampa.

Jorbit Vivas started a rehab assignment with the Tarpons as well.

Meanwhile, Tommy Kahnle (delayed throwing program) had his rehab assignment transferred to Double-A Somerset.

Roughly 10 minutes away, on the International Falls side, lies an acre of property owned by Alex Verdugo’s maternal grandfather, Don Potter. When the Yankees outfielder went to see his grandparents as a kid and young adult, the area served as an outdoorsy escape, with four-wheelers, bird hunting and snowmobiles offering a slower pace than Verdugo’s home in Tucson, Ariz., and some of the bigger cities he’s played in.

“You’re just in nature,” Verdugo told the Daily News before the Yankees ventured to Minnesota for a series with the Twins. “When you’re looking, you don’t see f–king buildings everywhere. You see land. You see water. You see animals. It’s just a very peaceful, scenic-type feeling for me.”

In the winter, the scene turns to tundra and the lake freezes over. That’s when Verdugo, Potter and the rest of their family would go ice fishing.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Verdugo said. “You could do it several ways. You can have an actual fish house that you drive out there and put it down. You can have a little pop-up tent. It’s really however you want to do it.”

Potter prefers to use a fish house, or a portable shelter that’s moved onto the ice via truck. Once in place, holes are drilled in the ice from inside the house before anglers drop their lines into the slushy water.

High-end fish houses can cost tens of thousands of dollars and come with various creature comforts, almost like a luxury RV. However, Potter’s is simple.

An 8 x 12 shack, it features a table, a furnace, and cutouts in the floor that expose the ice. Potter assembled it himself years ago.

“They got some nice ones, but the one we have is one that my grandpa built,” Verdugo said, beaming with pride. “He’s awesome. He’s always been a big handyman and did stuff himself. He built and worked on cars, you name it. He was always really good at working with wood and things like that. So he’s like an old-timer, man.”

Only big enough to fit a few people, Verdugo and the rest of his family would rotate in and out of the shanty during fishing trips for walleye, northern pike, perch and bass. Once satisfied with the haul, Verdugo and co. would take the fish back to Potter’s home, clean them and “do a little fish fry.”

Known for his diamond chains, custom cleats and other flashy accessories, Verdugo knows that he doesn’t look the part of a typical outdoorsman. He said he’s gotten that reaction a lot throughout his professional career, especially when he’s told “country” teammates about his exploits in International Falls.

Some would assume the ice fishing and other activities are out of character. But like a frozen lake, there’s always more beneath the surface of an athlete’s public persona.

“I don’t think that’s fair to say,” said Caleb Ferguson, a teammate of Verdugo’s with the Yankees and Dodgers. “There’s a lot of guys that do a lot of things outside of the baseball field, but because of how they’re molded as a player, people think it’s weird. Everybody just knows one version of that guy, you know?”

Verdugo and Ferguson were minor league roommates when the Dodgers first drafted the duo in 2014. However, Ferguson did not find out about his past and present teammate’s affinity for ice fishing until after the two became Yankees over the offseason.

“I guess that’s bad on my part for not knowing that about him,” Ferguson said, though Verdugo bears some responsibility.

That’s because Verdugo has never taken any of his teammates ice fishing. He also hasn’t gone on an International Falls fishing trip since the Dodgers traded him to the Red Sox in February 2020.

Verdugo is hoping to put an end to both streaks this January, when Rainy Lake will be completely frozen and ready for ice fishing. He’d like a few Yankees join him, though there’s no guarantee the impending free agent will still be employed by the team.

“There is a good chance,” Verdugo said of some Bombers making the trip. “We might do something.”

The cleanup hitter added that he’ll teach his three kids to ice fish as well.

In the meantime, Verdugo is looking forward to the club’s series in Minneapolis. The city is about five hours from International Falls, but Potter and other family members plan on attending the games with Verdugo celebrating his 28^th birthday on Wednesday.

It’s been a difficult time for the maternal side of Verdugo’s family. Potter, afflicted by a condition that Verdugo likened to Parkinson’s, has had trouble talking. Then there’s Verdugo’s mom, Michelle. She is battling breast cancer after losing her mother to the disease last year, though she thankfully has just one or two treatment sessions left.

With some birthday plans in place, the North Star State will give Verdugo and his family a chance to escape once again, just like when he was little.

“We’ll probably do a dinner or something,” Verdugo said. “Nothing crazy. Obviously, we’re still in season and you gotta be prepared for the next game. But we’re gonna enjoy it.”

With his leg raised and his arms swaying back and forth, Cole repeatedly mimicked the point in a pitcher’s delivery where they break their hands before their stride toward the plate. The hard-throwing Gil has battled command issues, and Cole wanted to help him with his rhythm and timing.

With Marlon Abreu, the Yankees’ Spanish interpreter, translating Cole’s every word, Gil fixated on his teammate.

"Pitching coach" Gerrit Cole working in the bullpen with Luis Gil pic.twitter.com/SMmusAjk8V

— John Brophy (@jbrophybaseball) May 10, 2024

“I’m always paying attention to anything that he has to offer for me,” Gil told the Daily News after Cole also gave him some mid-game pointers during his May 7 start.

Just about every pitcher on the Yankees responds the same way when Cole speaks. If the reigning Cy Young winner has something to say, as he often does, they listen.

“He’s really locked in on what we’ve got going on and scouting reports and how can we maximize everybody and get the most out of everyone,” said Clarke Schmidt, who adjusted his recovery routine this season following conversations with Cole. “He’s definitely locked in on that. It’s good to have kind of an extra pitching coach.”

There have been numerous stories written about Cole being an unofficial pitching coach, especially ever since elbow inflammation shut him down in spring training. With more free time on his hands before and during a rehab that continues to slowly ramp up, it’s been easy to find examples of Cole educating his teammates, though that’s something he’s always happily done.

“I think he’s been the same guy,” Carlos Rodón said when asked if Cole has been teaching more since his injury. “He’s always willing to help. He always wants to help.”

loving the gerrit and rodon romcom montage pic.twitter.com/o7YBCIwjAO

— chris kreider respecter (@jonmoxIeys) July 31, 2023

What Cole does not want to do is become an official pitching coach whenever his playing career ends. In fact, he burst out laughing at the idea.

“You never say never, but probably not, no,” Cole told The News. “I’m probably going to be in this game until I’m exhausted, and then I’m gonna go home.”

On one hand, the answer hardly came as a surprise. After all, Cole is inked to a $324 million contract, and he has two young children at home. He’ll have better ways to spend his retirement than grinding out long, travel-heavy seasons in a job that pays significantly less than what he’s making now.

But on the flip side, Cole is a savant when it comes to the art of pitching, and he’s obsessed with the profession. He demonstrates this whenever he guides other Yankees or utters longwinded answers on the finest details of his craft.

With all the insight and passion he can provide, would he really just walk away from the game for good once he hangs up his spikes?

“I’d say more likely than not,” said Cole, still chuckling when that point was raised. “I mean, I guess we’ll see.”

Okay, so “Gerrit Cole, Yankees Pitching Coach” doesn’t sound like something fans should expect in the future. Is there any other way he could tutor once he’s no longer playing?

Several former pitchers, including Andy Pettitte, CC Sabathia and Ron Guidry, have worked with the Yankees as advisors and/or guest instructors in retirement. Pettitte, who currently holds the title of special assistant to general manager Brian Cashman, has been the most present this season, hanging around the team, throwing batting practice, watching bullpens, getting up to speed on analytics and generally helping the pitching staff while maintaining a flexible schedule.

“I think Pettitte’s role is a good example of what it could look like for a lot of these guys,” Matt Blake, the Yankees’ actual pitching coach, said when asked about Cole’s coaching prospects. “You have an advisory role that allows you to stay in the rhythm of it, but you’re not on a daily schedule of managing 162 games. That’s something that I would think a lot of the guys like to look at.”

Would Cole be one of those guys?

“Uh… too early to say,” he said.

That’s fair. Cole, 33, isn’t close to retiring, so he won’t have to make any decisions for a while.

That said, he’s certainly built a strong résumé if he ever wants to apply for one of these jobs.

His accolades and stats would help his case, but so would his communication skills and candor.

“He’s got a good way about him,” said Blake, who welcomes Cole’s input in meetings and eagerness to champion ideas being pushed by the Yankees’ pitching department. “He’s obviously got a lot to offer, and he’s pretty direct with his thoughts. But he does a good job of learning where to fit in with the rhythm of the conversation and what guys need in a certain moment.”

Added Luke Weaver, who made tweaks to his changeup following a bullpen chat with Cole on March 29: “He’s very honest. I mean, he’s not trying to hurt your feelings by any means. But he gets the point across, and I think there’s no fluff that’s needed in these types of conversations.”

Gotta love this.

Gerrit Cole with some words of encouragement for Clark Schmidt… pic.twitter.com/ARVn5wQnZb

— Mike Daddino (@mike_daddino) June 1, 2023

Every pitcher The News spoke with said that they were grateful for Cole’s inclination to help them. Healthy or not, he doesn’t need to put his extra time and energy into his teammates.

The fact that he always has is appreciated.

“He’s making so much money but still cares like he’s still grinding and he’s still trying to prove more than what he already has,” Nestor Cortes said. “So that’s one thing that I’ve always looked up to him for and have thanked him for, because any other guy could probably just cash it in and be like, ‘Whatever, I’m making so much money that I don’t really care about you.’ But he’s the type of guy that cares about his teammates.”

In relaying that sentiment to Cole, he was asked why he goes out of his way so often. He has his own rehab, his own starts, his own career to worry about.

Yet he’s constantly dedicating his time to other pitchers.

“That’s probably partly just my personality,” Cole said before pausing to think for a few seconds. “I don’t know. Part of it is just ingrained. It’s natural. Part of it is trying to win. I want my teammates to be as good as possible.

“If there’s anything I can do to help that, I very much enjoy that.”

The Yankees usually celebrate when they win, which they did with a 10-6 victory over the Rays on Sunday. Yet this party sounded different.

“They’re excited for Jam Jones,” explained Boone, genuinely touched.

Jam, a.k.a. Jahmai Jones, hasn’t played much this year. He had logged just one start, six plate appearances and 20 innings in the field before batting ninth and playing left on Sunday with Alex Verdugo getting a day off.

Boone said he’s “unfairly” pinned the utility man to the bench, but not because of his bat.

“This guy can hit,” Boone insisted before the game. “He can pop the ball. I haven’t really given him a lot opportunities yet, but I like the way he swings the bat.”

As if he were following a script, Jones homered on the second pitch he saw from Rays starter Tyler Alexander. The solo homer, the first of Jones’ career, just cleared the left field wall at 383 feet, though it traveled at 109.5 mph.

“[Bench coach Brad] Ausmus, right before, goes, ‘He’s going deep today. I don’t know if it’s this at-bat, but he’s going deep,'” Boone recalled. “And bam!”

1st Big League homer for Jahmai Jones

We see you, dawg! pic.twitter.com/awQdcIWC7A

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 12, 2024

Boone added that teammates “love” the hard-working Jones. That certainly showed after the home run.

As the utility man circled the bases, Yankees pitchers could be seen cheering for him in the bullpen before more teammates mobbed the ecstatic 26-year-old in the dugout. Then came the postgame beer shower, the smell of which still lingered as reporters talked to the effervescent Jones.

“It was awesome,” he said. “Everything you could imagine and more. Everybody rallying around you.”

Jones added that he traded a bat and some batting gloves for his home run ball.

“I’m okay with that,” he said. “I’ll trade a lot more than that.”

Any player would say that after hitting the first home run of their career, but Jones launched his on Mother’s Day. That made the moment all the more emotional.

“It’s a special one,” said Jones, who debuted in 2020, underwent Tommy John surgery in 2022, and was claimed by the Yankees in the spring. “Obviously, getting to be in the lineup with the Yankees is special in itself, but doing it on Mother’s Days is something I’ll never forget. My mom means a lot to me, and we’ve been through a lot together. To do it on this day, I can’t really put it into words.”

When asked what he could share about his and his mom’s journey, Jones said that his father, Andre, died of a brain aneurysm before the ballplayer began his freshman year of high school.

A former linebacker, Andre played college football at Notre Dame and spent time with the Steelers and Lions before his abrupt death in 2011.

“It was kind of sudden,” Jones said. “Just woke up one morning and had to put him in a hospital.”

Not even 14 and left without a father, Jones and his five siblings leaned heavily on their mom, Michele, at home in Georgia.

“Going through that, she had to take a lot of different things on to keep everything as normal as it could be,” Jones said. “Without her, I wouldn’t be here, for sure.”

Jones said that he already had a text waiting from his mom when he got back to the Yankees’ locker room, and he couldn’t wait to call her after the game. She, too, felt it was special that her son hit his first home run on Mother’s Day.

So did Jones’ teammates, who were eager to rage with him after the game.

“All the guys were excited for him,” said Jose Trevino, who homered twice on Sunday. “Every day he comes in, handles his business. He grinds every single day to just be ready for that one moment.”

Added Gleyber Torres, whose three-run homer gave the Yankees some breathing room after a bullpen implosion: “There’s nothing better than to hit your first homer, especially on Mother’s Day.

“It’s beautiful. That’s the beautiful part of playing baseball.”

Meanwhile, Boone said that Jones “works his tail off,” stays “prepared for anything” and never complains about his playing time.

“He brings the same energy to the field every single day,” Boone said. “You go through a long season, you don’t want energy suckers. You want people that give energy each and every day, and he does that. He’s accepted his role. He works hard. He’s ready at any moment for any situation, and it’s exciting to be able to get him in there today and have him deliver like he did. I know the boys appreciate that.”

The feeling is mutual, as Jones raved about the support he’s received from “every single person” in the Yankees’ locker room.

“I’ve had multiple conversations with everybody about different things, and the culmination of that just speaks to the culture that’s in here,” Jones said. “It’s something that’s special and something that I think is going to really pay dividends down the stretch.”

A second-round pick of the Angels in 2015, Jones has had a hard time living up to his draft status. But he’s managed to stick around with the Yankees after limited stints with the Angels, Orioles and Brewers.

Multiple injuries to the Yankees’ infield depth have made that possible, but playing time has still been scarce. Still, Jones has embraced his role while remaining wide-eyed and positive, his default attitude after experiencing hardship as a teen.

“It’s kind of hard to have a bad day. I love it, man. I love baseball. I love being a part of this team. We’re winning, and that’s all that matters,” Jones said. “As long as the team’s winning, you’re never going to not see me smiling.”

“This guy can hit,” Boone insisted of a player who found himself starting for just the second time this season. “He can pop the ball. I haven’t really given him a lot opportunities yet, but I like the way he swings the bat.”

Naturally, Jones, batting ninth and playing left field, homered on the second pitch he saw from Rays starter Tyler Alexander. The solo shot, the first of Jones’ career, just cleared the left field wall at 383 feet. But the ball’s 109.5-mph exit velocity certainly qualified as popping the ball and spearheaded a homer-happy afternoon for the Yankees.

“I thought I hit it well, and I wasn’t sure [it got out],” Jones said. “I looked up at [Jonny] DeLuca in left field, and I saw his back turn, so I was like, ‘Oh man, maybe it’s getting over his head.’ I was trying to bust out of the box a little bit, and then when I saw him stop, there’s always that subtle moment where you look up and you’re like… and then it went.”

1st Big League homer for Jahmai Jones

We see you, dawg! pic.twitter.com/awQdcIWC7A

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 12, 2024

Jose Trevino, who played a pivotal part in Friday’s win, took the baton in the fourth inning when he clobbered a 409-foot homer off of Alexander. The two-run blast traveled at 106.1 mph, a lofty exit velo for a catcher who is hitting .293 while controlling the strike zone better.

Alexander then surrendered another two-run homer in the fifth when Aaron Judge hit his team-leading 10^th longball of the season. Judge has had some struggles this season, but he’s hit four homers in his last seven games and has quickly raised his average to .235 after being below The Mendoza Line on May 2.

That he’s started to correct course is only “inevitable,” Boone said.

The Yankees scored their first run when Juan Soto lifted a sac fly in the opening frame. The play scored Anthony Volpe, who started the game with a leadoff triple.

While the Yankees were busy bopping, the Rays failed to score against Luis Gil.

The right-hander, continuing his recent run of success, blanked Tampa Bay for six innings while allowing just three hits. The gas-pumping Gil only struck out three batters, a season-low, but he also limited himself to two walks after another week of tinkering with his mechanics.

“I was able to get a lot of outs today,” Gil said, proud of himself. “When you look back, being able to get through the sixth, that’s a really important part for me.”

Gil, 25, now has a 2.51 ERA, which leads the Yankees’ rotation in his first season back from Tommy John surgery.

While Gil looked sharp for the third consecutive start, the Yankees’ bullpen nearly blew a 6-0 lead following his departure.

Momentum shifted in the Rays’ favor in the seventh when Jose Siri crushed a grand slam off of Caleb Ferguson. His replacement, Nick Burdi, then loaded the bases by hitting Randy Arozarena before leaving the game with one out and the Yankees up, 6-4.

Luke Weaver followed up by hitting Isaac Paredes, which brought another run home. Fortunately for the Yankees, Weaver stopped the bleeding there with the lead still intact.

Better yet for the Bombers, Gleyber Torres enjoyed his biggest moment of the season in the eighth when he drilled a three-run homer to get a few runs back. The struggling second baseman had been hitting just .203 with one home run before the dinger, which came against Shawn Armstrong.

“When you’re grinding in this game, even with the success you’ve had as a hitter like Gleyber, it’s tough,” Boone said. “It can be a grind. You just gotta keep working and going with it. And that was a big, big blow to kind of allow us to exhale a little bit after they pressured us.”

To his credit, Torres has been working hard. With a focus on being more consistent and striking out less, he and assistant hitting coach Pat Roessler spent time in the cage prior to Sunday’s game.

That effort preceded a blast that helped Torres regain some confidence.

“I don’t know what’s gonna [happen in] the next game,” Torres said. “But for tonight, especially, hitting in that moment, feels good. The homer, I feel like I did something for the team.”

Gleyber Torres with a 3-run blast to extend the @Yankees' lead! pic.twitter.com/ZDtEbAOMFh

— MLB (@MLB) May 12, 2024

Trevino then added his second jack of the day, a solo homer to left.

Yandy Díaz added a run for the Rays in the ninth with a solo homer off of Ian Hamilton. However, the righty ultimately secured a win that ended up being more dramatic than it should have been.

“It’s good,” Trevino said when asked about his performance. “I mean, at the end, the letter W is what’s most important. So whatever happens, happens, but as long as we win, that’s the most important thing.”

With a divisional series victory in the books, the Yankees are off on Monday. They’ll start a three-game series with the Twins in Minnesota on Tuesday, when Carlos Rodón is lined up to pitching against Chris Paddack.

The reliever, recovering from Tommy John surgery, has been shut down. Yankees manager Aaron Boone made that known on Sunday after imaging and consultations with team doctors and Dr. Neal ElAttrache determined that Trivino is dealing with elbow inflammation after going a little too hard, too fast in his rehab efforts.

Trivino’s ulnar collateral ligament is intact, and he’s two weeks into not throwing after being shut down for three to four weeks.

“He won’t throw for a couple more weeks, and then start ramping up again,” Boone said. “I think they feel like it’s kind of minor.”

The right-handed Trivino underwent Tommy John surgery last May and was non-tendered in November, but he signed a one-year deal with a club option with the Yankees at the start of spring training.

Acquired alongside Frankie Montas in 2022, Trivino was lights out for the Yankees following the trade. He recorded a 1.66 ERA over 25 games for the team before missing all of last season.

Trivino spent most of last season rehabbing in Tampa, as well as at Eric Cressey’s facility in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Cressey is the Yankees’ director of player health and performance.

Trivino had been throwing bullpens before being shut down.

While Trivino has been delayed, Boone added that Scott Effross is going to face hitters “soon.” The manager didn’t have an exact date, but he was excited about potentially getting the righty back down the road following Tommy John and back surgeries.

Effross also missed the entire 2023 season after tallying a 2.13 ERA over 12.2 innings for the Yankees the year before.

Boone noted that Effross, acquired from the Cubs in 2022, can pitch in a variety of high-leverage roles, has the ability to get lefties and righties out, and gives opponents a “unique” look with his sidearm delivery.

“Hopefully both of those guys come into the picture here at some point,” Boone said of the Yankees’ rehabbing relievers.

Texts from Mom

With Sunday being Mother’s Day, Boone was asked a few pregame questions about his mom, Sue. He noted that she regularly texts him before and after games, especially when the Yankees win in narrow fashion.

“She usually is good for a really good Bitmoji postgame of a tight win or a tough win or something like that,” Boone said. “But she will send me little messages. Sometimes before, but a lot of times right after.”

And what does she send if the Yankees lose?

“Usually, she’ll send me a verse,” a smiling Boone said. “Perspective, a little perspective.”

“We’ll always have a competition, like around the horn, to see who can keep saying different Filipino words,” Volpe told the Daily News. But the battles never last long, nor does Volpe.

Asked if he ever wins the game, the Yankees’ smiling infielder said, “No, never.”

“I can just pick out words,” Volpe added when asked if he knows how to speak Tagalog, or Filipino. “The only time I can tell what’s being said is if my aunts or uncles start talking Filipino around us. I know they’re talking about us. That’s the only thing I pick up.”

While Volpe’s Italian roots have received plenty of fanfare since the Yankees drafted the New York-born, New Jersey-raised leadoff man in 2019, he is also half Filipino. He has his mom, Isabelle, to thank for that.

Volpe said that he’s “proud” of both sides of his family. But with Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month upon us and Mother’s Day here, he spoke lovingly of the Filipino influences in his life earlier this May.

Volpe said that his maternal grandparents immigrated to the United States in the 1970s with just two of their seven children. Isabelle was not one of them. She didn’t make the move until two years later, when she was about 11 or 12.

“It just showed the sacrifices the whole family was willing to make,” Volpe said, adding that he heard stories of Isabelle’s grandfather surviving the Bataan Death March during World War II. “Our mom would kind of hold it over us when we were little about how if we weren’t grateful for [my parents] or something, she’d be like, ‘Well, we didn’t get to see our parents for two years’ and stuff like that.

“Kind of jokingly and everything like that, but when you think about it, it’s crazy the stuff that the whole family went through to sacrifice.”

Now 23, Volpe considers his mom, an anesthesiologist, and grandparents to be “big role models” in his life.

His grandfather, or “lolo,” Benjamin, died in 2010. However, his grandma, Concepcion de Leon, is still alive and got to see Volpe achieve an upper echelon version of the American dream: becoming the Yankees’ starting shortstop.

“They wanted their kids to have an opportunity to live in America and take advantage of all the opportunities,” Volpe said with reverence.

While Volpe may not know his mom’s native language well, he has become well-versed in Filipino food. Isabelle is an excellent chef, as is Volpe’s grandmother and aunt, Tita Jazz.

“They’re arguably the best cooks that I’ve ever had food from, that’s for sure,” Austin Wells, a frequent dinner guest, confirmed. “Besides my mother! She’d kill me.

“They’re amazing, and it doesn’t matter what kind of food it is. They do everything, and they’re really good at it.”

Volpe said that chicken adobo is his grandmother’s specialty, and she also makes sinigang, a sour soup native to the Philippines.

However, Volpe claimed that Jazz is “the best cook ever.” Yankees fans may have already heard of her, as she prepared the chicken parm dinner that Volpe and Wells famously shared last season.

Filipino-style ribs are among Jazz’s other go-to delicacies. Wells has tasted those, too.

“You can’t stop eating them,” the catcher said. “They’re so good. It’s really that, and then the Italian [food], like chicken parm. Those are the two that are my favorites.”

Volpe has been inviting teammates to family dinners for as long as he can remember. Both sides of his family are big on food, and the Filipino offerings have allowed Volpe’s peers to try new dishes.

“Part of the culture is the food,” Volpe said. “A lot of guys throughout the years have come over to the house. They’ve definitely gotten to know our culture through having family dinners and different stuff like that.

“Filipino food’s probably the best or up there rivaling the best types of food, and I think nobody really knows about it.”

Volpe is looking forward to eating more this winter, when he and the rest of his family plan on visiting the Philippines.

He’s played baseball on that side of the world, traveling to Japan and Taiwan with Team USA when he was younger. However, Volpe has never been to the Philippines, and his mom hasn’t been back since before he was born. She told her son that the family has relatives in the triple digits there, some of which Volpe has never met or hasn’t seen since he was a baby.

Volpe’s stateside family, including his sister, Olivia; father, Michael; and numerous cousins are looking forward to the trip, which will take place over New Year’s.

Sampling some authentic Filipino food is at the top of Volpe’s to-do list, but he’s eager to “explore everything” his mom’s home country has to offer.

“I’m excited to really dive in,” Volpe said. “We’re going to try and set it up where everyone gets to go over and experience everything.”

That became clear on the first pitch he threw, as Yandy Díaz crushed the southpaw’s fastball 401 feet to left field for a leadoff home run. It wouldn’t be the last time the Rays went deep off Cortes in what became a 7-2, series-tying win for Tampa.

The Yankees responded to Díaz’s homer in the second inning when Anthony Volpe produced a two-run single with the bases loaded. However, Trent Grisham ran into an inning-ending out on the play, killing any chance the Yankees had at adding on with Juan Soto due up.

“I don’t think he saw the ball well off the bat and was probably thinking maybe there’s a play at the plate, which obviously there wasn’t,” Aaron Boone said of Grisham’s blunder. “But just a mistake there.”

With the damage limited, the Rays then tagged Cortes for three more runs in the third when Randy Arozarena launched a dinger of his own off the starter.

Cortes ended up leaving the game after 5.1 innings, five hits and four earned runs. He also walked three and struck out five while totaling 89 pitches.

Afterward, Boone noted that Cortes didn’t have great command of his fastball.

“I thought he actually kind of righted the ship a little bit and got it going a little bit there in the middle of the game there,” Boone said. “But just early on, it just seemed like he had a hard time getting that fastball at the top rail like he normally does so well.”

Meanwhile, Cortes wasn’t happy with his early-inning command in any part of the zone, though he felt things improved after he made a mechanical tweak following the third inning.

Cortes wasn’t thrilled with home plate umpire Ramon De Jesus, either. The pitcher acknowledged that after the game, though he didn’t blame the official for his subpar performance.

“From my point of view, it looked like a couple of strikes could have been called,” Cortes said. “But I mean, I don’t think that determined the whole game of mine. I just gotta make better pitches and find that fastball a little earlier.

“It’s a little frustrating when you want a call and you don’t get it, but it’s part of the game.”

With a few things not going his way, Cortes saw his ERA rise to 4.02 on Saturday.

The outing also continued a noticeable trend: Cortes has been much better at home than on the road. Cortes has a 1.59 ERA at Yankee Stadium this season, but he entered his latest start with a 6.75 road ERA before giving up the four earned runs.

“Honestly, I haven’t even looked at it,” Cortes said when asked about his splits. “But I’m imagining because of that question, I pitch better at home. I don’t know. I just gotta make the adjustment of being on the road and pitching. There’s nothing else to it. I feel the same. I prepare the same.”

While Cortes finished up sooner than he would have liked, Díaz and Arozarena weren’t done after their home runs. The Cuban duo each recorded RBI doubles with Dennis Santana on the mound in the seventh. Arozarena then scored when Isaac Paredes lifted a sacrifice fly to right field.

“You know what they’re capable of,” Boone said of the Rays’ Nos. 1 and 2 hitters. “They’re really good hitters, and they made a big difference in them winning the game today.”

The Yankees, meanwhile, didn’t score again following Volpe’s knock, which came against Rays starter Zack Littell.

Littell tallied 5.2 innings, four hits, two earned runs, two walks and three strikeouts over 80 pitches before giving way to Tampa’s bullpen.

The Yankees came feet away from a closer game in the seventh when Soto squarely hit a ball to deep center field with two men on. It initially looked as if Soto would clear the fence, but Jose Siri caught the ball at the back of the warning track.

“Two balls, 108 [mph] to that spot,” Boone, in disbelief, said after Aaron Judge fell short of a homer in similar fashion on Saturday. “It’s a little — yeah, I mean, those are homers.”

With the series knotted up, the Yankees will turn to Luis Gil on Sunday before making their way to Minnesota.

The 25-year-old is coming off two impressive starts, outdueling Cy Young winners Corbin Burnes and Justin Verlander while holding the O’s and ‘Stros to three hits and one earned run over 12.1 innings. Gil, in his first season back from Tommy John surgery, has a 2.92 ERA through seven starts.

The Rays had not announced their Sunday starter by the end of Saturday’s game.