Stanton reaches 25 homers for 10th time and Cole exits with cramp as Yankees beat Texas 8-4

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton reached 25 homers for the 10th time in his big league career, Gerrit Cole struck out nine over six innings before his right calf cramped and the New York Yankees beat the Texas Rangers 8-4 on Monday night.

Gleyber Torres had three hits for the AL-leading Yankees, including a two-run double in the third inning that put them ahead to stay. Anthony Rizzo had a two-run double in their five-run sixth inning after Aaron Judge doubled for his MLB-best 124th RBI.

Before his last warmup pitch ahead of the seventh, Cole (6-3) lifted his right leg and tried to stretch. The Yankees ace and reigning AL Cy Young Award winner bent twice, threw the warmup, then hopped and signaled to the bench. Manager Aaron Boone and director of sports medicine Michael Shuck went to mound.

“Tried a couple things to get it to stop, and it just didn’t stop. So, didn’t seem like it was going to go away,” Cole said. “I wasn’t super concerned. I just didn’t think it was the right situation to keep trying to manipulate it out there.”

Cole, who turns 34 on Sunday, began this season on the 60-day injured list because of nerve irritation and edema in his throwing elbow during spring training. The right-hander, who didn't make his season debut until June 19, said he wasn't worried afterward since he only felt the cramps when following through on those warmup pitches.

Stanton homered to straightaway center leading off the eighth. He is the only active MLB player with 10 seasons of at least 25 homers.

“Remarkably consistent his entire career. ... Probably one of the best sluggers of my generation, for sure,” Cole said.

“It’s pretty cool. You know, something to add to whatever I can come up with in this career, but you know as long it helps us win, that’s what’s most important right now,” Stanton said.

The Yankees (80-58) remained a half-game ahead of Baltimore in the AL East. They had lost four of their previous five games.

With two on and two outs in the ninth, Torres made a diving backhand stop behind second base on Marcus Semien's grounder and threw to first for the out.

Anthony Volpe and Alex Verdugo, the bottom two batters in the Yankees lineup, had one-out singles in the third inning before Torres doubled for a 2-0 lead. Rookie right-hander Jack Leiter ended that inning when he struck out MLB home run leader Judge, who swung at and missed an 84 mph curveball.

Leiter (0-2) was pulled after Judge’s RBI double in the sixth that made it 3-1, and was the third consecutive hit to start that inning. Leiter struck out two and was charged with five runs.

The 24-year-old Leiter threw 25 sliders and didn't get a single swing and miss. Still, he pitched into the sixth inning for the first time in five big league starts.

“I felt good about my stuff. I felt like execution-wise, that’s the best it’s been, at least up here so far this year,” Leiter said. “So then it becomes a conversation of, you know, navigating lineups a little better and maybe pitch selection here or there."

Volpe and Leiter were high school teammates and part a state championship in 2019 at Delbarton School in Morristown, New Jersey. Both were first-round draft picks, Volpe by the Yankees that year and Leiter by Texas second overall in 2021 after he went to Vanderbilt.

Leiter's father, Al, played for the Yankees during his first three big league seasons (1987-89) and his last (2005). His cousin, Mark Leiter Jr., is a Yankees reliever.

The Yankees led 7-1 when Cole left the game. Luke Weaver took over, immediately allowing a single to Josh Jung and a homer to Wyatt Langford.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Yankees RHP Clarke Schmidt (right lat strain) struck out seven without a walk while allowing two runs over 4 2/3 innings in a rehab start for Double-A Somerset. ... C Austin Wells stayed in the game after getting hit on a hand by a pitch while batting in the sixth.... RHP Luis Gil (lower back strain) is expected to rejoin the rotation this week. Gil (12-6, 3.39 ERA), whose last start for New York was on Aug. 20, threw 80 pitches in 3 2/3 innings in a rehab game for Somerset on Sunday.

Rangers: Cy Young Award winners Jacob deGrom (elbow surgery rehab) and Max Scherzer (shoulder fatigue/nerve issue) are both scheduled to make rehab starts Saturday. While deGrom is set to pitch for Double-A Frisco, he said there could be the option that night of making his first start for the Rangers since April 28, 2023. The plan is for Scherzer to pitch for Triple-A Round Rock in Las Vegas.

UP NEXT

A matchup of left-handers in the middle game of the series Tuesday night. Carlos Rodón (14-9, 4.31 ERA) pitches for the Yankees while Andrew Heaney (4-13, 3.95), who has allowed only one run over 10 innings in his last two starts, starts for Texas.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Stephen Hawkins, The Associated Press