<p>ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Rich Hill pitched six strong innings, Austin Meadows led a hit parade against Corey Kluber and New York’s bullpen, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Yankees 10-5 Friday to snap a four-game skid.</p>
<p>Hill, a 41-year-old lefty who’s played 17 seasons with 10 teams, allowed four runs and four hits — all with two outs in the third inning — before retiring his final 10 batters. </p>
<p>Hill (1-0) struck out seven without issuing a walk, and Tampa Bay scored five early runs off Kluber (0-1) in his second start for the Yankees. Meadows had three of the Rays’ 13 hits, one of five Tampa Bay players with a multi-hit game. </p>
<p>Aaron Hicks and DJ LeMahieu homered for the Yankees. New York has dropped nine of 11 regular season meetings against the reigning AL champions.</p>
<p>The Rays’ home opener drew a socially-distanced crowd of 9,021 to Tropicana Field, where fans had not watched them since Oct. 8, 2019, Game 4 of that year’s AL Division Series against the Houston Astros.</p>
<p>With the teams standing along the first- and third-base lines for pregame introductions, the Yankees were forced to watch a video recap of Tampa Bay’s 2020 success, which included the Rays’ third AL East title, a victory over the Yankees in the ALDS and the franchise’s second pennant.</p>
<p>The salute was capped by the unveiling of two banners commemorating the latest division title and AL crown.</p>
<p>“Any time you win a division and you’re representing the American League getting to the World Series, I think that speaks clearly enough to how talented the group was, how special the team was,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said before the game.</p>
<p>Hicks anticipated the ceremony being difficult to watch.</p>
<p>“Yeah, it’s definitely something that we want to be doing. But they won last year,” the center fielder said. “This is a new year and we expect to go out there and dominate.”</p>
<p>At least for now, though, the Rays seem to have the Yankees’ number.</p>
<p>The reigning AL champs roughed up Kluber, scoring two unearned runs in the second inning and chasing the Yankees starter with three runs to regain the lead after falling behind 4-2 in the third.</p>
<p>Joey Wendle’s two-run double off reliever Nick Nelson drove in the final two runs charged to Kluber, who allowed five runs — three earned — and five hits in 2 1/3 innings. On the way to building the lead to 9-4, Brandon Lowe drove in three with a fourth-inning double.</p>
<p>All of New York’s success against Hill came with two outs in the third, with Giancarlo Stanton beating the defensive shift with a two-run single to right-center and Hicks hitting a two-run homer for the fourth consecutive hit off the Rays starter.</p>
<p>The Yankees played without slugger Aaron Judge, who sat out a second consecutive game with soreness in his left side. Gio Urshela was also out of the lineup after being placed on the COVID-19 injured list due to side effects from a vaccination. </p>
<p>TRAINER’S ROOM</p>
<p>Yankees: Manager Aaron Boone said there’s a chance Judge will be ready to return to the lineup Saturday. Meanwhile, LHP Justin Wilson (left shoulder tightness) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list.</p>
<p>Rays: RHP Pete Fairbanks (right rotator strain) was placed on the 10-day IL as injuries continue to mount in the bullpen. The reliever said he expects to be sidelined about a month. </p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>The AL East rivals continue the three-game series with right-hander Chris Archer (0-1, 13.50 ERA) making his first start for the Rays at Tropicana Field since Tampa Bay traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates in July 2018. He re-signed with the Rays as a free agent over the winter. The Yankees will counter with right-hander Domingo Germán.</p>
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