After Aroldis exits, 'pen wraps Yanks' win in 12

MIAMI -- Giancarlo Stanton received a warm welcome while barreling a couple of balls in his return to Marlins Park, but the theatrics were reserved for Chad Green and A.J. Cole, who escaped a pair of bases-loaded jams to set up Miguel Andujar's go-ahead sacrifice fly in the Yankees' 2-1, 12-inning victory over the Marlins on Tuesday evening.
With the winning run dancing 90 feet from home plate, Green recorded a strikeout and a fielder's choice before exhaling in the ninth, then Cole wriggled free from a none-out mess in the 11th by getting a fielder's choice, strikeout and foul pop. Andujar ensured that their efforts were rewarded, driving home Kyle Higashioka with a fly ball to left off Javy Guerra.

"It's not easy for us right now," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "We're going through a tough stretch, and obviously we've had some guys go down. That's also an opportunity for guys to step up. We've seen that; we saw it tonight. That was a hard one tonight, but we grinded it out."

Closer Aroldis Chapman threw just six pitches before gesturing to the dugout, exiting in the 12th with a recurrence of the left knee tendinitis that he has managed for most of the season. Tommy Kahnle recorded the final three outs to secure the save, his first of the year.
"I basically just went in and told myself, 'Treat it like I've been all my life,'" Kahnle said. "That's just, take it slow, take deep breaths and work pitch for pitch. Try to get this team a win. It's satisfying and gives me a little more confidence now."

The late rally and bullpen work preserved a homecoming win for Stanton, who was the superstar face of the Marlins prior to the blockbuster December 2017 trade that fitted him for Yankees pinstripes. Stanton stepped out of the batter's box and tapped his heart to acknowledge the applause from the crowd of 26,275 in the first inning, then barreled a 117.3-mph single off starter Pablo López.

"That's going to be one of the more special moments of my career, for sure," Stanton said. "It's a lot to take in. A lot of things go into this, to where I'm at now. I grew up over there. This is the next part of my life, but that's always going to be a huge part of me. It's really special that they gave me that."
The reigning National League MVP also narrowly missed a homer with a fifth-inning double that dented the left-field wall, leaving his bat at 113.8 mph. Stanton has reached base in 17 consecutive games, absorbing the load for an injury-riddled lineup that anxiously awaits the returns of Aaron Judge, Gary Sánchez and Didi Gregorius.

Neil Walker's fourth-inning RBI single off Lopez marked the only support for Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka, who nevertheless turned around his rough month by holding the Marlins to a run on four hits over six solid innings.

Touched only by Austin Dean's fifth-inning home run that struck the sculpture in left-center field, Tanaka walked one and struck out four before exiting for a pinch-hitter at 82 pitches. The effort shaved his August ERA from 5.17 to 4.15.
"It felt good. I think everything is going in the right direction," Tanaka said through an interpreter. "It was one of those better outings in the past couple of games. Hopefully I'll be able to replicate what I did or be better next time out."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Green and Cole both had to dig deep to keep the Marlins from celebrating, pitching out of trouble in the ninth and 11th innings, respectively. Both frames started with a leadoff walk and eventually saw the bases filled. Green struck out Dean and induced JT Riddle to hit into a fielder's choice, ending the ninth. In the 11th, Cole got Yadiel Rivera to hit into a forceout at the plate, then fanned Riddle and got Magneuris Sierra to pop out in foul territory.

MITEL REPLAY OF THE DAY
The drama of Kahnle's save was prolonged for a few moments after the final out, as Marlins manager Don Mattingly challenged the umpires' call that Isaac Galloway was out upon attempting to steal second base, ending the game. After a brief review, the umpiring crew confirmed the original ruling that the second baseman, Walker, had tagged Galloway before he reached the bag.

SOUND SMART
Stanton recorded his 10th multihit game in August. He is batting .325 (26-for-80) with eight doubles, eight homers and 16 RBIs in 20 games this month. Twelve of his last 18 hits have gone for extra bases.
HE SAID IT
"[Green and Cole were] giving me anxiety out there in the bullpen. I'm watching and I'm like, 'Man, now I know what it's like watching me pitch.'" -- Right-hander David Robertson, who was unavailable to pitch due to a tender right shoulder
UP NEXT
The Yankees and Marlins will conclude their two-game Interleague series on Wednesday at 7:10 p.m. ET, as right-hander Lance Lynn (8-8, 4.68 ERA) is set to make his fourth start for the Bombers. New York has won each of Lynn's previous starts so far. Right-hander Trevor Richards (3-7, 4.28 ERA) will take the hill for Miami.