New York Yankees' Cody Bellinger scores a run past Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Rafael Flores Jr. in the seventh inning during the second baseball game of a doubleheader, Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

NEW YORK — Max Fried allowed one hit over five innings in his return from a two-month layoff, Jasson Dominguez and Anthony Volpe drove in runs on consecutive pitches in the seventh and the New York Yankees beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-0 Wednesday night for a doubleheader split.

Pittsburgh won the opener 5-3 in 10 innings.

Bubba Chandler pitched 6 1/3 innings of two-hit ball in his first scoreless outing this year.

Brandon Eisert (2-2), acquired from the Chicago White Sox on July 11, relieved and walked Cody Bellinger. One out later, Dominguez doubled down the left-field line and scored when Volpe singled for his second RBI since June 19.

Fried struck out seven and walked one, inducing 10 swings and misses while throwing 37 of 57 pitches for strikes and retiring his last 12 batters. He had not pitched since May 14 because of a bone bruise in his left elbow and was to have thrown one more minor league rehab start before Tuesday night’s rainout caused the Yankees to change their plans.

He was economical, with 13 pitches in the first, 10 each in the second, third and fourth, and 14 in the fifth. Fried’s four-seam fastball averaged 96.2 mph, 1.5 mph above his season average coming in. He threw his two fastest pitches this year, topping at a 98.5 mph fastball for a called strike against Marcell Ozuna in the second.

Nick Gonzalez singled down the left-field line leading off the game but was throwing out at second trying to stretch by Bellinger in left.

Paul Blackburn (3-1) pitched two hitless innings, escaping a runners-at-the-corners jam in the seventh by striking out Ryan O’Hearn and Ozuna.

Will Warren, who was to have started Tuesday, allowed Nick Gonzales’ single starting the ninth and a two-out walk. Tim Hill retired O’Hearn on a groundout that was upheld in a video review for his first save since June 30, 2021, for San Diego at Cincinnati.

TRIOLO, MANGUM LIFT PIRATES IN GAME 1

Jared Triolo and Jake Mangum hit run-scoring singles against Fernando Cruz in the 10th inning, Jacob Gonzalez and Nick Gonzales homered off Gerrit Cole and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the New York Yankees 5-3 Wednesday in the opener of a day-night doubleheader.

Ben Rice tied the score with his 30th home run, a three-run drive in the seventh inning off Carmen Mlodzinski.

Triolo and Mangum drove in runs off Cruz (4-4), who allowed two hits and two walks while getting just one out.

Mason Montgomery (3-3) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings and Gregory Soto got three straight outs for his 13th save in 18 chances.

Cole retired his first 14 batters before allowing Nick Gonzales’ single and Jacob Gonzalez’s two-run homer. Nick Gonzales added a solo homer in the seventh off Cole, who in his previous start gave up Max Muncy’s two-run, eighth-inning homer that lifted the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 2-1 win.

Cole struck out 11, his most since Aug. 25, 2023, and extended his Yankees record for double-digit strikeouts games with 29. He allowed three runs and four hits with no walks.

Pittsburgh starter Mitch Keller gave up three hits in five scoreless innings.

New York went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position.

Yankees hitting coach James Rowson was ejected in the sixth inning for arguing after Jose Caballero was called for a pitch clock violation for not for engaging Mlodzinski with more than eight seconds remaining. Caballero took an inning-ending called strike and Yankees manager Aaron Boone continued arguing with plate umpire Quinn Wolcott during the break.

Brent Headrick struck out the side in the eighth and extended his home scoreless streak to 35 innings, the longest for the Yankees since Allie Reynolds’ 36 innings rom Sept 16, 1953, to June 2, 1954, according to STATS.

UP NEXT

Pirates: RHP Jared Jones (2-1, 4.05 ERA) will be on the mound Friday against the visiting Chicago Cubs, who start LHP Matthew Boyd (6-1, 4.15).

Yankees: RHP Will Warren (7-4, 4.03) starts Friday’s series opener at Philadelphia against LHP Jesús Luzardo (9-4, 3.43).