ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — After going down by three runs early and trailing until the eighth inning on Wednesday night, the Yankees were on the verge of doing something unthinkable: losing a second straight game.
But they reverted to 2022 form in the eighth, when Jose Trevino continued to deliver with his bat, hitting a go-ahead, two-run homer in a 5-4 win over the Rays at Tropicana Field.
Michael King and Clay Holmes made the lead hold up and the Yankees avoided dropping consecutive games — which they still haven’t done since losing back-to-back games at Tampa Bay on May 28-29.
“We keep showing ourselves and everybody we can win in different ways,’’ Aaron Boone said. “Whatever the game brings, we’re really confident we’re going to find a way to win in the end.”
Aaron Judge hit two more homers and now has an MLB-high 27 as he gets ready for Friday’s scheduled arbitration hearing and the Yankees got a handful of stellar defensive plays — including one from Trevino — as they kept pace with the 1998 team, improving to 51-18, tied for the third-best start in franchise history.
The Yankees will open a series against the Astros with a 12-game lead in the AL East.
Wednesday’s comeback overshadowed a rare off night for Jordan Montgomery.
In his first start against Tampa Bay this season, the left-hander allowed a season-high four runs — and two homers — in six innings.
New Yankee-killer Isaac Paredes, fresh off a three-homer night on Tuesday, started the bottom of the second with another home run to put the Yankees in a 1-0 hole.
After Josh Lowe singled with one out, Vidal Brujan crushed a two-run shot to left-center to give the Rays a 3-0 lead.
DJ LeMahieu led off the game with a single to center and right-hander Shane Baz then retired nine in a row until Judge opened the top of the fourth with a homer to left.
The Rays added a run in the bottom of the fourth — but Trevino and Josh Donaldson helped Montgomery escape further damage after he loaded the bases later in the fourth.
On a play called by Donaldson, Trevino picked off Taylor Walls at third to end the inning.
Boone said he felt the team was “a little flat early” and the play gave the Yankees “a shot in the arm.”
An error by Tampa Bay got the Yankees closer with two outs in the sixth.
With Giancarlo Stanton at second and Matt Carpenter at first, Trevino hit a routine grounder to short, but Taylor Walls bounced the throw to first and Ji-Man Choi couldn’t come up with it, which allowed Stanton to score and make it 4-2.
Judge got the Yankees to within a run with his second homer of the night to open the top of the seventh off Colin Poche.
Tampa Bay’s relievers, who pitched well in a bullpen game in their win on Tuesday, were put to the test again Wednesday.
And when manager Kevin Cash went to Ralph Garza Jr. to start the eighth — the Rays’ seventh pitcher of the night after they used the same number on Tuesday — he ran out of luck.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa walked and Trevino followed with a two-run homer to left, his sixth of the season, to give the Yankees their first lead of the night.
Boone and Judge advocated for Trevino’s inclusion in the All-Star Game, but the catcher said “if it happens, it happens. I want to win a championship.”
Trevino’s playing a huge role in the Yankees’ excellent start.
“This is a dream come true, for sure,’’ said Trevino, who grew up a Yankees fan. “Everyone is seeing the rose right now. Nobody saw me two or three years ago or even last year. There was a lot of hard work and it’s starting to come to the top.”
Clarke Schmidt pitched around a leadoff double in a scoreless seventh and King and Holmes threw scoreless innings, with Holmes picking up his 12th save.
