ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — When Slade Heathcott strode to the plate in the ninth inning Monday night, it was his first at-bat with the Yankees in nearly four months. He had never seen video of Tampa Bay reliever Brad Boxberger, let alone faced him. Heathcott took heed of a thumbnail scouting report that the backup catcher John Ryan Murphy had given him as he left the dugout.
“A really, really, really good changeup,” Heathcott said.
He did not bother looking for it.
Instead, Heathcott got the fastball he was hoping for on the first pitch and drove it over the left-field wall for a three-run homer that lifted the Yankees to a 4-1 victory over the Rays that was as exhilarating for them as it was unlikely.