With some of the Yankees’ highest-paid hitters continuing to struggle or on the bench Wednesday, a pair of non-roster invitees carried the offense against Mariners ace Luis Castillo.
Jake Bauers struck first in the Yankees’ 4-2 win, planting a Castillo fastball into Yankee Stadium’s right field seats with a two-run homer. With Anthony Volpe on first, Bauers watched as his sixth home run of the year towered over the porch.
Bauers, who played for the Mariners in 2021, now has eight doubles, four home runs and 12 RBI since the Yankees began a series in Seattle on May 29. The April 29 call-up has also hit .274 over that span.
Billy McKinney, meanwhile, has now reached base in all 12 of the games he’s played in since joining the Yankees on June 7, and he’s recorded a hit in 11 of them. On Wednesday, that included his second home run in as many days, a 414-foot shot off Castillo that landed in the second deck.
McKinney totaled two hits and raised his average to .317 in the victory.
Castillo, who has tormented the Yankees in the past, only lasted five innings and issued four walks.
The Yankees scored another run in the seventh inning when Volpe hit the 10th dinger of his young career off Gabe Speier. Only June, Volpe now has as many home runs and more stolen bases (15) than Derek Jeter had during his entire rookie season.
As Bauers, McKinney and Volpe enjoyed powerful nights, Giancarlo Stanton received a day of rest Wednesday — despite several recent off days — while DJ LeMahieu remained out of the lineup as he continued to make adjustments at the plate. Josh Donaldson went 0-for-4 as his average dropped to .133 and boos grew louder in the Bronx.
Fortunately for the Bombers, Jhony Brito pitched better than his 5.58 ERA after being called up for a spot start.
The 25-year-old, who unexpectedly began the season in the majors due to injuries in the Yankees’ rotation, kept the Mariners off the board for 5.2 innings, and he only allowed two hits. Brito also walked one and struck out three over 81 pitches in his 11th big league outing.
The Mariners’ first run came on a Dylan Moore solo homer off Wandy Peralta in the eighth, while their second stemmed from a Jarred Kelenic sacrifice fly in the ninth. Michael King made things dicey in the final frame, but Tommy Kahnle cleaned up the mess and recorded the save.
While the Yankees didn’t play flawlessly again — Gleyber Torres didn’t seem to know the situation when he got doubled off in the fifth inning — the team picked up its second straight win after ending its recent road trip with a four-game skid.
The Mariners will look to avoid a sweep on Thursday when they send Bryan Woo to the mound. Domingo German will start for the Yankees.
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