ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Gary Sanchez is doing all he can to keep the New York Yankees in playoff contention.
The rookie slugger hit his 17th homer in 42 games this season, a three-run shot in a four-run seventh inning that sent the Yankees past the Tampa Bay Rays 5-3 on Tuesday night to snap a five-game skid.
"Amazing, incredible, impressive," teammate Mark Teixeira said. "He's carried us. We're not even close to talking about a playoff berth if Gary doesn't come up and do what he does."
The banged-up Yankees moved within 3 1/2 games of Baltimore for the second AL wild card. New York would also have to jump over the Mariners, Astros and Tigers to earn a postseason berth.
Sanchez tied Wally Berger of the 1930 Boston Braves for the most homers by a big league player through 44 career games, according to Baseball-Reference data available through 1913.
"I'm enjoying it, especially when you win the game," Sanchez said through a translator.
Sanchez gave the Yankees a 5-2 lead with his drive off Brad Boxberger (4-3). It was the young catcher's sixth home run in 11 games following a 10-game drought.
"He's meant a lot," New York manager Joe Girardi said. "Offensively and defensively. It's kind of fitting that he got the big hit."
Sanchez's shot came after Tampa Bay opted not to walk him with first base open and two outs.
"Had Boxy fallen behind, maybe you'd think about it, but this is a guy who's gotten a lot of big outs for us in the past and trust him to get outs," Rays manager Kevin Cash said.
Teixeira hit a solo shot in the fourth for New York, which was swept in a four-game series at Boston last weekend and had lost seven of eight overall.
It was Teixeira's 407th homer, which tied Duke Snider for 54th place on baseball's career list. The switch-hitting first baseman has hit 204 for the Yankees, moving him past Roger Maris and into a tie with Robinson Cano for 14th in franchise history.
"I haven't hit a ball right-handed like that in a long time," Teixeira said.
Yankees center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury (bruised right knee), third baseman Chase Headley (back spasms) and second baseman Starlin Castro (strained right hamstring) were all out of the lineup for the second straight game.
Luis Severino (3-8) pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief to earn the win. Dellin Betances got three outs for his 12th save.
New York starter Michael Pineda gave up two runs and struck out 11 in 5 1/3 innings.
Brad Miller put the Rays up 2-0 with a two-run triple in the third.
Tampa Bay lefty Drew Smyly allowed one run over six innings.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Yankees: Ellsbury didn't rule out starting Wednesday. ... Headley could be back late this week. ... OF Aaron Hicks (right hamstring) was reinstated from the 15-day disabled list.
Rays: OF Steven Souza Jr. (left hip) and 1B Logan Morrison (left wrist) will both have surgery Wednesday. ... Utility man Nick Franklin (left hamstring) might not play again this season.
KAPRIELIAN'S COMEBACK
Yankees minor league right-hander James Kaprielian, out since late April with an elbow injury, threw 30 pitches during his second batting practice session. The 2015 first-round draft pick might pitch in the Arizona Fall League. "This year I learned a lot, and for me this is a big character test," Kaprielian said. "Battle these frustrations. I think in the long run this is going to help me."
UP NEXT
Yankees: RHP Masahiro Tanaka (13-4), who is 6-0 in his last eight starts, takes the ball Wednesday night. He is 5-0 in seven career starts against the Rays.
Rays: RHP Alex Cobb (1-0) makes his fourth start since returning from Tommy John surgery.
New York Yankees
The rookie slugger hit his 17th homer in 42 games this season, a three-run shot in a four-run seventh inning that sent the Yankees past the Tampa Bay Rays 5-3 on Tuesday night to snap a five-game skid.
"Amazing, incredible, impressive," teammate Mark Teixeira said. "He's carried us. We're not even close to talking about a playoff berth if Gary doesn't come up and do what he does."
The banged-up Yankees moved within 3 1/2 games of Baltimore for the second AL wild card. New York would also have to jump over the Mariners, Astros and Tigers to earn a postseason berth.
Sanchez tied Wally Berger of the 1930 Boston Braves for the most homers by a big league player through 44 career games, according to Baseball-Reference data available through 1913.
"I'm enjoying it, especially when you win the game," Sanchez said through a translator.
Sanchez gave the Yankees a 5-2 lead with his drive off Brad Boxberger (4-3). It was the young catcher's sixth home run in 11 games following a 10-game drought.
"He's meant a lot," New York manager Joe Girardi said. "Offensively and defensively. It's kind of fitting that he got the big hit."
Sanchez's shot came after Tampa Bay opted not to walk him with first base open and two outs.
"Had Boxy fallen behind, maybe you'd think about it, but this is a guy who's gotten a lot of big outs for us in the past and trust him to get outs," Rays manager Kevin Cash said.
Teixeira hit a solo shot in the fourth for New York, which was swept in a four-game series at Boston last weekend and had lost seven of eight overall.
It was Teixeira's 407th homer, which tied Duke Snider for 54th place on baseball's career list. The switch-hitting first baseman has hit 204 for the Yankees, moving him past Roger Maris and into a tie with Robinson Cano for 14th in franchise history.
"I haven't hit a ball right-handed like that in a long time," Teixeira said.
Yankees center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury (bruised right knee), third baseman Chase Headley (back spasms) and second baseman Starlin Castro (strained right hamstring) were all out of the lineup for the second straight game.
Luis Severino (3-8) pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief to earn the win. Dellin Betances got three outs for his 12th save.
New York starter Michael Pineda gave up two runs and struck out 11 in 5 1/3 innings.
Brad Miller put the Rays up 2-0 with a two-run triple in the third.
Tampa Bay lefty Drew Smyly allowed one run over six innings.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Yankees: Ellsbury didn't rule out starting Wednesday. ... Headley could be back late this week. ... OF Aaron Hicks (right hamstring) was reinstated from the 15-day disabled list.
Rays: OF Steven Souza Jr. (left hip) and 1B Logan Morrison (left wrist) will both have surgery Wednesday. ... Utility man Nick Franklin (left hamstring) might not play again this season.
KAPRIELIAN'S COMEBACK
Yankees minor league right-hander James Kaprielian, out since late April with an elbow injury, threw 30 pitches during his second batting practice session. The 2015 first-round draft pick might pitch in the Arizona Fall League. "This year I learned a lot, and for me this is a big character test," Kaprielian said. "Battle these frustrations. I think in the long run this is going to help me."
UP NEXT
Yankees: RHP Masahiro Tanaka (13-4), who is 6-0 in his last eight starts, takes the ball Wednesday night. He is 5-0 in seven career starts against the Rays.
Rays: RHP Alex Cobb (1-0) makes his fourth start since returning from Tommy John surgery.
7:10PM,EDT,September 20,2016
Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
| View: Play-By-Play | Pitch-By-Pitch | Inning: All | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| New York - Top of 1st | SCORE | |
|---|---|---|
| Drew Smyly pitching for Tampa Bay | NYY | TB |
| Gardner flied out to center. | 0 | 0 |
| Hicks singled to center. | 0 | 0 |
| Sánchez struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Butler doubled to left, Hicks to third. | 0 | 0 |
| Teixeira popped out to third. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Bottom of 1st | SCORE | |
| Michael Pineda pitching for New York | NYY | TB |
| Forsythe struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Kiermaier grounded out to first. | 0 | 0 |
| Longoria doubled to right. | 0 | 0 |
| Miller flied out to right. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| New York - Top of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Drew Smyly pitching for Tampa Bay | NYY | TB |
| Gregorius grounded out to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Torreyes fouled out to first. | 0 | 0 |
| Solano grounded out to second. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Bottom of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Michael Pineda pitching for New York | NYY | TB |
| Dickerson struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Mahtook struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| A. Ramírez walked. | 0 | 0 |
| Shaffer struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| New York - Top of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Drew Smyly pitching for Tampa Bay | NYY | TB |
| Williams struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Gardner flied out to left. | 0 | 0 |
| Hicks flied out to center. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Bottom of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Michael Pineda pitching for New York | NYY | TB |
| Wilson struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Forsythe singled to right. | 0 | 0 |
| Kiermaier struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Longoria reached on infield single to third, Forsythe to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Miller tripled to deep center, Forsythe and Longoria scored. | 0 | 2 |
| Dickerson struck out swinging. | 0 | 2 |
| 2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| New York - Top of 4th | SCORE | |
| Drew Smyly pitching for Tampa Bay | NYY | TB |
| Sánchez popped out to third. | 0 | 2 |
| Butler flied out to right. | 0 | 2 |
| Teixeira homered to left (407 feet). | 1 | 2 |
| Gregorius flied out to center. | 1 | 2 |
| 1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Bottom of 4th | SCORE | |
| Michael Pineda pitching for New York | NYY | TB |
| Mahtook struck out swinging. | 1 | 2 |
| A. Ramírez struck out swinging. | 1 | 2 |
| Shaffer lined out to center. | 1 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| New York - Top of 5th | SCORE | |
| Drew Smyly pitching for Tampa Bay | NYY | TB |
| Torreyes struck out swinging. | 1 | 2 |
| Solano grounded out to shortstop. | 1 | 2 |
| Williams flied out to center. | 1 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Bottom of 5th | SCORE | |
| Michael Pineda pitching for New York | NYY | TB |
| Wilson fouled out to catcher. | 1 | 2 |
| Forsythe struck out looking. | 1 | 2 |
| Kiermaier struck out swinging. | 1 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| New York - Top of 6th | SCORE | |
| Drew Smyly pitching for Tampa Bay | NYY | TB |
| Gardner flied out to right. | 1 | 2 |
| Hicks grounded out to shortstop. | 1 | 2 |
| Sánchez walked. | 1 | 2 |
| Butler doubled to left center, Sánchez to third. | 1 | 2 |
| Teixeira intentionally walked. | 1 | 2 |
| Gregorius flied out to left. | 1 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Bottom of 6th | SCORE | |
| Michael Pineda pitching for New York | NYY | TB |
| Longoria flied out to right. | 1 | 2 |
| Miller singled to right. | 1 | 2 |
| Layne relieved Pineda. | 1 | 2 |
| Dickerson struck out swinging. | 1 | 2 |
| Severino relieved Layne. | 1 | 2 |
| Mahtook struck out swinging. | 1 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| New York - Top of 7th | SCORE | |
| Brad Boxberger pitching for Tampa Bay | NYY | TB |
| Boxberger relieved Smyly. | 1 | 2 |
| Torreyes singled to left. | 1 | 2 |
| Solano fouled out to first. | 1 | 2 |
| Williams singled to center, Torreyes to second. | 1 | 2 |
| Gardner singled to right, Torreyes scored, Williams to third. | 2 | 2 |
| Gardner stole second. | 2 | 2 |
| Hicks struck out swinging. | 2 | 2 |
| Sánchez homered to left center (439 feet), Williams and Gardner scored. | 5 | 2 |
| Butler grounded out to shortstop. | 5 | 2 |
| 4 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Bottom of 7th | SCORE | |
| Luis Severino pitching for New York | NYY | TB |
| A. Ramírez flied out to center. | 5 | 2 |
| Shaffer flied out to right. | 5 | 2 |
| Wilson grounded out to shortstop. | 5 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| New York - Top of 8th | SCORE | |
| Eddie Gamboa pitching for Tampa Bay | NYY | TB |
| Gamboa relieved Boxberger. | 5 | 2 |
| Teixeira struck out swinging. | 5 | 2 |
| Gregorius reached on bunt single to pitcher. | 5 | 2 |
| Torreyes singled to center, Gregorius to second. | 5 | 2 |
| Solano grounded out to second, Gregorius to third, Torreyes to second. | 5 | 2 |
| Williams lined out to left. | 5 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Bottom of 8th | SCORE | |
| Tyler Clippard pitching for New York | NYY | TB |
| Clippard relieved Severino. | 5 | 2 |
| Forsythe tripled to deep left. | 5 | 2 |
| Forsythe scored on Sánchez' passed ball. | 5 | 3 |
| Kiermaier struck out swinging. | 5 | 3 |
| Longoria flied out to left. | 5 | 3 |
| Miller struck out swinging. | 5 | 3 |
| 1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| New York - Top of 9th | SCORE | |
| Eddie Gamboa pitching for Tampa Bay | NYY | TB |
| Gardner grounded out to pitcher. | 5 | 3 |
| Hicks walked. | 5 | 3 |
| Sánchez walked, Hicks to second. | 5 | 3 |
| Butler struck out looking. | 5 | 3 |
| Teixeira flied out to right. | 5 | 3 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Bottom of 9th | SCORE | |
| Dellin Betances pitching for New York | NYY | TB |
| Betances relieved Clippard. | 5 | 3 |
| Dickerson grounded out to second. | 5 | 3 |
| Decker hit for Mahtook. | 5 | 3 |
| Decker struck out swinging. | 5 | 3 |
| A. Ramírez grounded out to shortstop. | 5 | 3 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
New York Yankees
| Hitters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | #P | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gardner LF | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | .257 | .348 | .361 |
| Hicks RF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 20 | .214 | .275 | .329 |
| Sánchez C | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 21 | .327 | .399 | .710 |
| Butler DH | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16 | .285 | .337 | .426 |
| Teixeira 1B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 19 | .198 | .288 | .344 |
| Gregorius SS | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | .278 | .307 | .450 |
| Torreyes 2B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15 | .276 | .328 | .402 |
| Solano 3B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | .125 | .125 | .125 |
| Williams CF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | .385 | .385 | .462 |
| Totals | 37 | 5 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 145 | |||
| BATTING 2B: Butler 2 (18, Smyly 2) HR: Teixeira (13, 4th inning off Smyly 0 on, 2 Out); Sánchez (17, 7th inning off Boxberger 2 on, 2 Out) RBI: Teixeira (38), Gardner (39), Sánchez 3 (33) 2-out RBI: Teixeira, Sánchez 3 Yankees RISP: 2-9 (Sánchez 1-1, Williams 0-1, Butler 0-1, Gregorius 0-1, Solano 0-1, Hicks 0-1, Teixeira 0-2, Gardner 1-1) Team LOB: 9 | ||||||||||
| BASERUNNING SB: Gardner (16, 2nd base off Boxberger/Wilson) | ||||||||||
Game Information
| Stadium | Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL |
| Attendance | 12,732 (41% full) - % is based on regular season capacity |
| Game Time | 2:49 |
| Weather | indoors |
| Umpires | Home Plate - Bob Davidson, First Base - Dan Iassogna, Second Base - Vic Carapazza, Third Base - Laz Diaz |
No comments:
Post a Comment