With today’s home run, Sanchez became the third American League player in the past 100 years to hit at least nine homers in his first 21 games. “You really don’t”, NY manager Joe Girardi said.
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“He’s earned it. He did a lot of damage against us”, Servais said.
After losing the series opener 7-5 on Monday despite two homers apiece from Sanchez and Castro, the Yankees held Seattle to just one run in the final two games to win three consecutive road series for the first time this season.
“You want to feel good going into an off day and you’re able to win a couple series on the road”.
Tanaka (11-4) threw seven innings and got the better of the Mariners and Iwakuma, his former Japan league teammate.
And yet he was overshadowed by Sanchez.
“Outstanding”, Tanaka said through a translator.
Sanchez homered into the second deck in left field in the first inning on the first pitch from Iwakuma, his ninth home run in 18 games since joining the Yankees lineup on August 3.
Like nearly everybody else these days, Tanaka seems to have run out of words to describe the rookie’s sensational debut this month.
“I definitely was not expecting that, especially that last at-bat because I think there was no outs so I thought they would let me hit”, Sanchez said through an interpreter.
Tanaka was shaky early, escaping jams in the second and third innings before rolling the rest of the way.
NY added a run in the second when Aaron Judge was hit by a pitch and Aaron Hicks and Tyler Austin followed with consecutive singles. 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”, Servais said. Dellin Betances came on and struck out pinch-hitter Mike Zunino and then finished for his sixth save, giving Joe Girardi his 800th victory as Yankees manager. Seattle had him in trouble in the second and third innings, putting two runners on with one out, but Tanaka worked out of it each time. Tanaka got two groundouts to end the threat. He has allowed more than three runs just twice in his last 10 starts. Tanaka got the better of his mentor on April 17, when NY posted a 4-3 victory over the Mariners at Yankee Stadium.
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New York Yankees’ Brett Gardner, right, begins his dive toward home to score as Seattle Mariners catcher Chris Iannetta waits for the throw in the seventh inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016, in Seattle.
