“Solo home run, not a good start”.
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“It kind of freaked me out, actually”, manager Joe Girardi said of the incident that occurred just before the bottom of the eighth.
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma throws against the New York Yankees in the second inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016, in Seattle.
Seattle Mariners’ Norichika Aoki flips his bat after striking out as New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez throws back to the mound in the fifth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016, in Seattle.
On Wednesday, Sanchez nearly immediately took the air out of the crowd, despite an impressive turnout on a cloudless Seattle summer day. “It just says a lot about him, his abilities”. “His stuff to me really got good in the fourth inning”.
“More than anything”, Tanaka said, “he’s trying and willing to understand what I’m trying to do”.
“I definitely was not expecting that, especially in the last at-bat”, Sanchez said through an interpreter, referring to being walked with none out and runners at second and third.
Tyler Austin snapped an 0-for-16 skid with an RBI single in the second and birthday boy Gardner’s sacrifice fly made it 3-0 in the fourth.
While Sanchez hit another home run, went 2-for-3 and was intentionally walked twice, he was only the second-best Yankee on the field Wednesday. But as they fell into a good rhythm, so did Tanaka, who retired 12 of his final 14 batters. “We haven’t been shut down like that in quite some time”.
Iwakuma lost his second straight start despite giving up just three earned runs. It was the second time he matched up with Tanaka and 13th time in major league history two Japanese pitchers met. Tanaka also got the victory in April when the two met at Yankee Stadium.
Seattle’s best scoring chance came in the second inning when Leonys Martin missed a two-run homer by inches, settling for a line drive single off the top of the fence in right field and advanced Adam Lind to third base.
“I think the most important part is they’re just a couple games ahead of us in the wild card race”, Tanaka said.
The Mariners had a few chances to make something happen before Tanaka got into a groove.
With Wednesday’s victory, Joe Girardi became the sixth Yankees manager to reach 800 wins – the last being Joe Torre.With a day game after a night contest, hot-hitting 3B Ronald Torreyes got the nod in place of Chase Headley, Mark Teixeira was the DH instead of Brian McCann, who caught Tuesday night.
Seattle Mariners’ Norichika Aoki grounds out against the New York Yankees in the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016, in Seattle.
Yankees: New York has a day off Thursday before opening a series at home on Friday against Baltimore.
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The Mariners list Thursday’s starter for the series opener at Chicago against the White Sox as TBA, although Servais said it would be a left-hander.
