DENVER — It was not always a given, despite what the records said, but the Yankees did indeed escape Coors Field on Sunday without a dubious distinction following them to California.
By winning their sixth straight series, the Yankees also avoided becoming the victim of what could have been the first series victory of the season in tries for the historically bad Rockies.
They made sure of that by taking the rubber game with just enough timely hitting and pitching around a lengthy rain delay to squeak past the Rockies 5-4.
J.C. Escarra led the Yankees (32-20) with the first three-hit game of his career, driving in a pair of runs, and Aaron Judge broke a 2-2 stalemate in the fifth inning with an RBI double just as the skies opened up and led to a delay of 1 hour, 46 minutes.
Another solid start from Will Warren — it began rocky before he found cruise control — was cut short because of the long delay, but the Yankees pieced together the final five innings with Jonathan Loáisiga (1 ²/₃ innings), Mark Leiter Jr. (1 ¹/₃ innings), Devin Williams and Luke Weaver to fend off the Rockies (9-44)
Escarra, who had four hits in his past 24 at-bats (spanning 12 games) before Sunday, picked a good time to break out while getting the start to give Austin Wells a breather.
The backup catcher’s third hit was an RBI single in the eighth inning that scored Jasson Domínguez to make it 5-3.
That proved key in the bottom of the ninth, when Weaver gave up his first home run of the year, a leadoff shot to Mickey Moniak, and then allowed a pair of singles with one out.
But he escaped by getting the next two batters in order for his eighth save.
For the third time in three games here, the Yankees jumped ahead 1-0 in the first inning.
Paul Goldschmidt led off with a single up the middle off righty Antonio Senzatela and then went first to third on Judge’s one-out bloop single to right field.
Cody Bellinger came up next and hit a ground ball that got picked at first base, but hustled down the line to beat out the double play and score Goldschmidt from third.
Warren, who was coming off three straight strong starts entering Sunday, had a dicey bottom of the first inning before settling in.
Jordan Beck led off with a double, Ezequiel Tovar singled and then Hunter Goodman walked on five pitches to load the bases.
With Ryan McMahon at the plate, Warren threw a low changeup that trickled past Escarra — who had to get around home plate umpire Edwin Jimenez to retrieve the ball — as Beck raced home to tie the game.
McMahon grounded out to first, which allowed Tovar to score from third for the 2-1 lead.
Anthony Volpe made sure the inning did not get out of hand from there, though, as he made a diving stop to his right on a grounder from Michael Toglia and then threw from his knees, getting just enough on it for the out at first to end the inning.
Volpe led off the next inning with a triple off the wall in right-center field.
Escarra quickly drove Volpe in when he roped a double down the third base line to tie the game at 2-2, though he was eventually stranded at third as Senzatela retired the next three batters.
After walking Goodman in the first inning, Warren retired 11 batters in a row, including striking out five straight at one point into the fourth inning.
He struck out the side in the third, all on sweepers, though the third punch-out came as a flash of lightning struck in the distance in a foreboding sign.
The Yankees finally got another rally going in the top of the fifth inning, with Goldschmidt starting it again with a one-out single.
Ben Rice walked on four pitches as it began to rain and the Rockies made a pitching change, calling on Jake Bird to relieve Senzatela.
Judge greeted Bird by ripping a double down the line to score Goldschmidt for the 3-2 lead, with the rain increasing in intensity.
With first base open, the Rockies intentionally walked Bellinger to load the bases for Domínguez, who drilled a long fly ball that nearly went out, only to settle for a sacrifice fly and the 4-2 lead.
Volpe came up next and worked a full count in the driving rain, then fouled off two more pitches before crew chief Andy Fletcher finally called for the tarp.
