Randy Arozarena homers, hit by 2 pitches as Rays beat Yankees 5-4

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Randy Arozarena homered in the first inning and then was hit by pitches in his next two plate appearances, leading to Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash being ejected as the MLB-best Rays beat the New York Yankees 5-4 in the first meeting this season between the AL East rivals.

Tampa Bay (27-6) became the first major league team since 1901 to win 18 of its first 20 home games.

Arozarena homered to center field off Jhony Brito before the rookie right-hander plunked the outfielder on the elbow guard in the third. Yankees reliever Albert Abreu then hit Arozarena in the ribs with a fifth-inning pitch.

An angry Arozarena walked slowly toward first base and whipped his bat in disgust towards the Rays’ dugout.

There was yelling between the benches, but no trouble on the field. The umpires gathered and issued warnings to both teams, which prompted Cash to rush out of the dugout to argue with crew chief and first base umpire Lance Barksdale.

Cash, Arozarena and Yankees manager Aaron Boone all agreed the hit by pitches were unintentional.

“The first at-bat, hitting the home run on a breaking ball, and I think he just kind of let his sinker slip,” Arozarena said through a translator. “On the second one, I also don’t think it was intentional because after the third out he actually looked over and apologized. … He gave me that look.”

Barksdale told a pool reporter the crew deemed no intent on both pitches, but with words being exchanged “you’ve got to issue warnings to try and keep the game under control.”

Arozarena doesn’t expect any carryover on Saturday.

“I think we’re just going to come out there, and win,” he said.

Wander Franco put the Rays up 5-4 with an RBI double off Jimmy Cordero (1-1) in the seventh that went off the glove of left fielder Jake Bauers after he got twisted around trying to make the catch. Yandy Díaz was initially called out at the plate on the play, but the call was changed after a replay review.

Díaz had a solo homer in a two-run third for the Rays, who opened a 10-game lead over the last-place Yankees (17-16) in the AL East.

“I don’t care what the number is,” Boone said. “I get it. You’ve got to get right. We have to play well or none of it matters, right?”

The Yankees have lost five of seven.

New York is without outfielder Aaron Judge (right hip), designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (left hamstring) and third baseman Josh Donaldson (right hamstring), as well as starting pitchers Luis Severino (right lat) and Carlos Rodón (back).

Kevin Kelly (3-0) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings to get the win. Jason Adam worked the ninth for his third save,

Harrison Bader had a three-run homer off reliever Garrett Cleavinger during a four-run sixth that pulled the Yankees even at 4.

SPECIAL PITCH

Helen Kahan, a survivor of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, threw a ceremonial first pitch on her 100th birthday. The native of Romania lives in St. Petersburg.

FREE DRINKS

Arozarena’s first-inning drive delighted fans in “Randy Land,” a seating section in left field that made its formal debut. Fans that purchase tickets there for Friday games get an Arozarena T-shirt, and those of legal age get a free beer if he homers.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Yankees: Judge and Donaldson worked out at the team’s complex in nearby Tampa. Severino threw in a minor league intrasquad game at Tampa’s Steinbrenner Field.

Rays: 2B Brandon Lowe was out of the lineup for the second consecutive game with back soreness. … LHP Josh Fleming, who took a 113.1 mph infield single off his left foot Tuesday, threw off a bullpen mound and expects to pitch Sunday. … RHP Tyler Glasnow (strained left oblique) gave up two hits, walked two and struck out four over 2 1/3 scoreless innings in his first rehab start for Triple-A Durham.

UP NEXT

Yankees RHP Domingo Germán (2-2) and Tampa Bay RHP Drew Rasmussen (3-2) are Saturday’s starters.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — A bill introduced in the Nevada Legislature would give the Oakland Athletics up to $380 million for a potential 30,000 seat, $1.5 billion retractable roof stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.

The bulk of the public funding would come from $180 million in transferable tax credits from the state and $120 million in county bonds, which can vary based on interest rate returns. Clark County also would contribute $25 million in credit toward infrastructure costs.

The A’s have been looking for a home to replace Oakland Coliseum, where the team has played since arriving from Kansas City for the 1968 season. The team had sought to build a stadium in Fremont, San Jose and finally the Oakland waterfront, all ideas that never materialized.

The plan in the Nevada Legislature won’t directly raise taxes. It can move forward with a simply majority vote in the Senate and Assembly. Lawmakers have a little more than a week to consider the proposal before they adjourn June 5, though it could be voted on if a special session is called.

The Athletics have agreed to use land on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, where the Tropicana Las Vegas casino resort sits. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has said he is disappointed the team didn’t negotiate with Oakland as a “true partner.”

Las Vegas would be the fourth home for a franchise that started as the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901-54. It would become the smallest TV market in Major League Baseball and the smallest market to be home to three major professional sports franchises.

The team and Las Vegas are hoping to draw from the nearly 40 million tourists who visit the city annually to help fill the stadium. The 30,000-seat capacity would make it the smallest MLB stadium.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said a vote on the Oakland Athletics’ prospective move to Las Vegas could take place when owners meet June 13-15 in New York.

The plan faces an uncertain path in the Nevada Legislature. Democratic leaders said financing bills, including for the A’s, may not go through if Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoes the five budget bills, which he has threatened to do as many of his priorities have stalled or faded in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

Under the bill, the Clark County Board of Commissioners would create a homelessness prevention and assistance fund along the stadium’s area in coordination with MLB and the Nevada Resort Association. There, they would manage funds for services, including emergency rental and utility assistance, job training, rehabilitation and counseling services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

The lease agreement with the Las Vegas Stadium Authority would be up for renewal after 30 years.

Nevada’s legislative leadership is reviewing the proposal, Democratic state Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager said in a statement.

“No commitment will be made until we have both evaluated the official proposal and received input from interested parties, including impacted community members,” Yeager said.