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Yankees 4, Mariners 3

NY pushed it to 3-1 in the third when Brett Gardner’s double over the wall in left-center scored Jacoby Ellsbury. But when his teammates gave him a one-run lead in the bottom of the fifth on a wild pitch from Iwakuma, Tanaka made it stand up, retiring the side in order in the sixth and seventh innings.

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NY was put in a position to win thanks in large part to Masahiro Tanaka, who gave up three runs – two earned – and six hits in seven innings. “King Felix” has racked up 8 straight seasons with 200+ innings pitched, and has struck out 200+ in a season four times.

(AP Photo/Chris Carlson). San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Johnny Cueto watches a pitch to the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning of a baseball game in Los Angeles, Saturday, April 16, 2016. The right-hander needed only 93 pitches to get through seven.

“Just extremely satisfied being able to get that win”, Tanaka said via an interpreter.

“I think it’s important”, Joe Girardi said.

Said catcher Brian McCann: “Those guys are ridiculous”. Clevenger delivered a two-out RBI single.

In the eighth, Betances got Nori Aoki and Seth Smith swinging and Robinson Cano looking.

The 35-year-old Iwakuma, teammates with the 27-year-old Tanaka from 2007-11 on the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, was charged with four runs and eight hits in seven innings.

“I didn’t want it to be that sketchy after getting the first two outs so quickly”, Cishek said. “Just watching him, in general, he was pitching with composure and kept the ball down. But you have to fight through it”, Girardi said, adding, “I’m not going to make too much of it”.

Altuve went 2-for-4 with a first-inning home run that got the Astros going, plus a two-run double that followed an error by Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

Alex Rodriguez struck out three times and the 40-year-old heard boos as his hitless slump reached 19 at-bats.

The three-time MVP sent an 86 miles per hour fastball into the lower-deck seats in left field. But the homer was also number 689 for A-Rod’s career, putting him within 25 of Babe Ruth. (The MLB average is right around 15%.) He had eleven swings and misses on his splitter in his first two starts combined. “Not that I feel like Alex needs to relax, but sometimes just shaking up a lineup once in a while can help a little bit”. I’m sure all the fans will enjoy it.

In the process, Ellsbury lost his cap and glove and had to retrieve the ball at the wall. “It was probably better than I thought it would be”.

“I was very excited to face (my) ex-teammate”, Iwakuma said to ESPN through a translator after the Mariners” loss. “He’s better than everybody”. The setup man had been sidelined with tightness in his back and shoulder. Benoit was not summoned from the bullpen. “We won the series, got a day off tomorrow and then we go get Cleveland”. This week, this Yankee had a powerful week at the plate and after riding a hot streak against the Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners, he was placed third in the batting order in the final game of the Seattle Mariners series, a move that subsequently paid off.

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Former Yankees pitcher Vidal Nuno retired Mark Teixeira on a grounder with the bases loaded to end the sixth, protecting a 4-1 lead.

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