Cole no-hit bid into 8th, Yanks beat Rays for 50th win

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Gerrit Cole took a no-hit bid into the eighth inning, Aaron Hicks hit a tiebreaking triple in the ninth as Manuel Margot slammed into the right-field wall and the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-2 on Monday night for their 50th win.

New York has won 17 of its last 19 games, and its 50-17 start is the best in the major leagues since the 2001 Seattle Mariners. The Yankees opened a 12-game lead over second-place Toronto and Tampa Bay dropped into fourth, 14 games back in the AL East.

“For us to answer back like that just shows what this team’s about,” said Aaron Judge, who went 0 for 3 with a walk. “We don’t just live or die by the long ball. We’re just a good all-around team.”

Margot sprained a knee, and Rays manager Kevin Cash expects him to miss significant time.

Cole struck out 12 and walked three, allowing one run and one hit in 7 1/3 innings. Cole struck out six in a row at one point and led 2-0 when Isaac Paredes led off the eighth by grounding a slider on Cole's 105th pitch off the mound and into center field. On June 3, Cole pitched 6 2/3 perfect innings at Detroit.

“Any time you get to the eighth inning, you’re starting to smell it and it gets close. But once (the no-hitter) goes by the wayside and it’a tie game, it's right back to: ‘Let’s go find a way to get this thing done,’' Yankees manager Aaron Boone made. “Just a good resilient victory and a lot of good things that helped us get there.”

Judge didn't realize Cole was flirting with a no-hitter until the sixth inning.

“He was just cruising. I guess it was just a normal Cole day,” Judge said. “He had all his pitches working tonight. Just to be able to use all those pitches in any count, in any situation, is pretty