ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Ben Zobrist hit a game-ending single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, lifting the Tampa Bay Rays over the New York Yankees 1-0 on Monday night.
With the Baltimore Orioles’ 5-2 win over Toronto, the Yankees were eliminated from AL East title contention in Derek Jeter’s final season. Mired in an 0-for-24 slump, Jeter was given the night off.
Logan Forsythe got the Rays’ third hit of the game, a one-out single in the ninth off Shawn Kelley (3-6) and went to second on James Loney’s single. After pinch-hitter David DeJesus struck out and pinch-hitter Matt Joyce walked, Zobrist lined his hit to right.
Joel Peralta (3-4) walked one while pitching the ninth to help Tampa Bay get its 21st shutout of the season.
The Rays became the first team since the 1973-75 Boston Red Sox to beat the Yankees 10 or more times in three straight seasons.
Alex Colome, recalled from Triple-A Durham by Tampa Bay before the game, allowed six hits over 6 2-3 innings in his second big league start this season.
Chris Capuano gave up two hits and four walks in six innings. The left-hander lasted just one-third of an inning in his previous start Wednesday, allowing four runs, four hits and two walks in the Yankees’ 8-5 come-from-behind victory over the Rays.
Chase Headley was ejected by plate umpire Marty Foster in the seventh for arguing a called strike. The Yankees third baseman played for the first time since being hit in the jaw by a pitch thrown by Tampa Bay’s Jake McGee Thursday.
Some fans started chanting "De-rek Je-ter!" while waiting to see who would hit for Headley. They responded by booing when Stephen Drew emerged from the dugout to finish the at-bat.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Yankees: RHP Masahiro Tanaka (small right elbow ligament tear) threw in an instructional league simulated game and could return this weekend. … Carlos Beltran, who missed five games due to right elbow soreness before pinch-hitting Sunday night, was the DH. He will have off-season surgery to remove a bone spur.
UP NEXT
The Rays will honour the retiring Jeter during a pregame ceremony Tuesday night. This is Jeter’s final road series against Tampa Bay. … Yankees RHP Michael Pineda (3-4) and Rays RHP Jake Odorizzi (10-12) are Tuesday’s scheduled starters. Odorizzi needs seven strikeouts to tie Matt Moore’s single-season rookie team record of 175.