Nats erupt with six-run rally in 8th vs. Yanks

With the game tied in the top of the eighth, one clutch hit could have made the difference. The Nationals got that -- and then some -- as they erupted for a six-run inning to top the Yankees, 11-4, on Friday at Yankee Stadium.

After Josh Bell and Yan Gomes belted a pair of homers in the second, the Nats' offense went quiet for five frames as the Yanks kept pace with a trio of solo home runs.

• Box score

But it's not always about going yard. The Nationals took advantage of three Yankees miscues to snap a three-game skid and win their first game in the Bronx since June 13, 2018.

"We talk a lot about just moving the baseball," manager Dave Martinez said. "Today was a great example of what we can do when we just put the bat on the ball and just think about the small things and not try to do too much -- and good things happen."

Yadiel Hernandez led off the eighth inning with a line-drive single to right, where Aaron Judge committed a fielding error and Hernandez reached second. After Hernandez was replaced by pinch-runner Andrew Stevenson, Victor Robles advanced Stevenson to third on a sacrifice bunt and landed on first himself thanks to a throwing error by third baseman DJ LeMahieu. Trea Turner plated Stevenson for the go-ahead run.

"It was not good timing for those errors to happen," LeMahieu said. "I think we've been playing pretty good defense lately. We didn't help our pitchers out at all. I would have liked to take my time a little bit more. I mean, I know that [Robles is] fast, but I probably had an extra step to make a better throw."

Given the green light to swing away, Josh Harrison approached the plate with the mentality to "get across as many as possible." He turned a 4-3 lead into a four-run advantage with a three-run blast off Jonathan Loaisiga.

"When you're in a really good spot, you're like, 'Forget bunting -- hit a double,'" Harrison said. "I ended up hitting a home run."

From there, the Nationals kept the offensive barrage coming. Designated hitter Juan Soto recorded his first hit since April 19, Starlin Castro drew a walk, Kyle Schwarber drove in Soto in his first career game at Yankee Stadium and Castro scored the final run of the inning when shortstop Gleyber Torres committed another Yankees error in a Gomes plate appearance.

"The boys, they get pumped up," Martinez said. "They're excited, they're screaming. It's kind of nice. You get that really cool feeling that something good is going to happen every at-bat, and it did tonight."

By the end of their seven-run victory, which included a homer by Soto, the tie seemed like a distant memory. The Nationals' 11 runs was a season high and the most since Sept. 27 against the Mets.

"We missed having Soto in that lineup and strengthening that lineup all the way through," Martinez said. "We get him back, and you saw what he did today. Hopefully this is the beginning of something good here for a stretch and we'll take off."