NEW YORK -- Kevin Kiermaier's voice was raspy, the toll of 16 celebrations over 17 games.
"We're all huddled around," the Rays center fielder said, describing the large circle that had just gathered in the clubhouse. "I just give all the pitchers shout-outs, nice defensive plays, homers, stuff like that, and then kind of finish it with my own little rap, jingle thing."
Kiermaier has had much to sing about. He sparked the offense behind Rich Hill, who threw five scoreless innings to finish May with the lowest monthly ERA in 75 years of a pitcher in his 40s, and Tampa Bay kept up its domination of the reeling Yankees with a 3-1 victory Monday.
Tampa Bay's 16-1 spurt opened a 5 1/2-game AL East lead over third-place New York -- and led to postgame frivolity.
"Every year, I say, 'Fellas, I don't have to do it if you don't want it.' And everyone wants me to do it," Kiermaier went on. "I'm glad my teammates don't judge me for it, because when guys come over to get traded and see it for the first time, they're just kind of bashful at times. But it's all good fun."
Kiermaier singled leading off the third against Jameson Tallion (1-4) and scored on Manuel Margot's double as right fielder Aaron Judge overthrew the cutoff man, and the Rays never trailed for the fifth consecutive game.
Austin Meadows homered into the right-field short porch in the fourth, a 334-foot drive that would not have been out of any other big-league ballpark, and Kiermaier doubled leading off the fifth and scored on Randy Arozarena's single.
"He's the leader in the clubhouse, and he's the heart and soul of this club," Hill said of Kiermaier.
A left-hander who at 41 is the oldest player in Rays' history, Hill did not throw a single pitch that broke 90 mph yet improved to 3-0 with a 2.04 ERA against the Yankees this season. Hill needed 56 pitches and allowed three hits, helped by a diving stop on AL batting champion DJ LeMahieu that third baseman Yandy Diaz turned into an inning-ending double play from his knees. Five of New York's first 16 batters hit his first pitch, and six more hit his second.
Hill was 3-1 with a 0.78 ERA in six May starts, the third-lowest ERA in a calendar month for a pitcher 40 or older behind Cincinnati's 41-year-old Eppa Rixey (0.60 in August 1933) and the Washington Senators' 42-year-old Johnny Niggeling (0.64 in May 1946), according to STATS. Hill lowered his season ERA to 3.32.
Rays Manager Kevin Cash brought in Michael Wacha to start the sixth, extending Tampa Bay's record streak of 729 games without a complete game since Matt Andriese's two-hit shutout of Oakland on May 14, 2016.
TWINS 3, ORIOLES 2 (10) Rob Refsnyder bounced back from a run-in with the center-field fence to score the go-ahead run in the 10th inning on a wild pitch as Minnesota handed Baltimore its 14th consecutive loss.
MARINERS 6, ATHLETICS 5 (10) Ty France hit a tying single and scored on Tom Murphy's sacrifice fly in the 10th inning as Seattle rallied past Oakland for its fifth consecutive victory.
WHITE SOX 8-1, INDIANS 6-3 Jose Ramirez's two-run homer and a solid start by reliever Cal Quantrill led Cleveland to a victory in the second game of a doubleheader. The White Sox won the opener when Adam Eaton hit a two-run home run and Jose Abreu added a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
CUBS 7, PADRES 2 Javier Baez and Patrick Wisdom each homered twice, helping Kohl Stewart and Chicago beat San Diego. Stewart pitched five innings of one-run ball in his first major-league win since July 21, 2019, for Minnesota against Oakland.
REDS 11, PHILLIES 1 Max Schrock homered, tripled and doubled before leaving with an apparent leg injury, Wade Miley pitched six solid innings and Cincinnati cruised past Philadelphia. Kyle Farmer homered and drove in five runs as Cincinnati sent the Phillies to their third consecutive loss.
BRAVES 5, NATIONALS 3 Ronald Acuna Jr. hit his 16th home run to tie for the big-league lead in Atlanta's win over Washington. Acuna went deep to match Toronto's Vladimir Guerrero Jr., San Diego's Fernando Tatis Jr. and Texas' Adolis Garcia for most in the majors.
INTERLEAGUE
BREWERS 3, TIGERS 2 (10) Luis Urias hit a drive that bounced over the wall and brought home Omar Narvaez with the winning run in the 10th inning as Milwaukee edged Detroit Tigers. The Brewers won their fifth consecutive and snapped the Tigers' three-game winning streak.
ASTROS 11, RED SOX 2 Kyle Tucker had a season-best three hits and tied a career high with four RBI as Houston handed former bench coach Alex Cora and the Boston Red Sox their most lopsided loss of the season.
GIANTS 6, ANGELS 1 Evan Longoria hit a two-run homer before leaving with a sore muscle on his right side, and Johnny Cueto pitched seven stellar innings in San Francisco's victory over Los Angeles.
