Josh Donaldson delivers for New York Yankees with grand slam walk-off in 10th inning

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Donaldson knew the ball left the park after he hit it. The New York Yankees were in need of this.

Down 7-4 going into the bottom of the 10th, they were facing a sweep and their fourth straight loss when Josh Donaldson came to the plate. Donaldson knew that the victory meant more to the Yankees than it did to him. Their third win of the month, an 8-7 walk-off victory, was their 11th loss of the season.

Donaldson said the guys were pumped and came back with their backs against the wall. The release of joy and frustration was felt.

Francisco Mejia hit a bases- loaded double with two outs in the 10th to give the Rays a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Aroldis Chapman gave up two earned runs on one hit in two-thirds of an outing as the Yankees struggled with their late-inning relief.

The Yankees believed they could still pull out the victory even though their chances of winning had plummeted.

Oswaldo Cabrera, who made his major league debut Wednesday, said that the team never lost the vibe in the dugout. That was the most important thing for today.

Donaldson, the designated hitter, came up to the plate with the bases loaded after a four-pitch walk to first baseman Anthony Rizzo. With an 0-1 count, Donaldson took a pitch high in the zone and knocked the 98.6 mph pitch from Beeks over the fence, sending the Yankees into a frenzy.

A good fight all night. It has not been easy for the Yankees. It was great to see that level of at-bat when it looked like it was stripped from us.

Fans of the Yankees want Donaldson to be benched to give other players more playing time. Donaldson has had one of the worst offensive seasons of his career, hitting.223/.307/.391 with 12 homers in 97 games, with two years and $50 million remaining on his contract The decision to stick with Donaldson paid off at the end of the game.

I think it's huge. He's been working hard to get on track. I think he's going to show up on an extended period here, and that's as big as you can get, because he's a great player and a great hitter.

The evening did represent at least a momentary breath of fresh air as New York walked away in dramatic fashion with a victory that seemed distant at the time.

"Obviously with the stretch we're going in, it was a great victory, against a really good team that's tough to score against, especially behind," he said.

The Yankees will need to take the victory and use it to their advantage, as they have looked like a shell of themselves.

We know we are a good team. We are struggling and going through it. The group is a confident one. We have to focus and grind and get through it, and hopefully we can look back and remember it.