The Yankees took early control of the game, with Cody Bellinger driving in the opening run with a sacrifice fly off Nationals starter Brad Lord. In the third inning, Ben Rice delivered a 435-foot homer, the longest of his career, putting the Yankees up 2-0. The momentum continued in the fifth, when New York exploded for five runs: Aaron Judge doubled in a run, Bellinger added a two-run single, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. capped the inning with a two-run homer—his third in just two games and a new career-high 25th of the season. Jasson Domínguez joined the home run parade with a three-run shot in the seventh, marking his first since July 23.
Cam Schlittler, who recently flirted with a perfect game against Tampa Bay, was once again sharp on the mound, tossing six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts. The rookie right-hander has now extended his scoreless innings streak to 14 1/3, dating back to August 13. Despite issuing three walks and allowing four hits, Schlittler (2-2) consistently worked out of trouble, including a key escape in the fourth inning when Ben Rice threw out Josh Bell attempting to steal, ending a Nationals threat.
Brad Lord (4-7) took the loss for Washington, surrendering seven runs (six earned) over 4 1/3 innings, with five strikeouts and two walks. The Nationals, down 10-0 entering the ninth, rallied for five runs with two outs. Robert Hassell III drew a bases-loaded walk, and Jacob Young blasted a grand slam, but it was too little, too late to threaten the Yankees’ lead.
The Yankees’ win was notable for lineup changes, as Anthony Volpe, struggling with a .160 average and 10 errors since mid-June, was replaced for the second consecutive game by José Caballero. New York is now 13-9 in games not started by Volpe since 2023, according to ESPN.
Looking ahead, the pitching matchup for Tuesday features Yankees right-hander Luis Gil (1-1, 4.26 ERA) against Nationals left-hander MacKenzie Gore (5-12, 4.11 ERA). For deeper analysis and live updates, visit Nationals vs. Yankees Live Coverage.