Masahiro Tanaka and the New York Yankees rolled past the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI |
License Photo
NEW YORK -- Masahiro Tanaka retired the first 17 hitters Friday night and set a career high with 14 strikeouts in eight dominant innings as the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-1 on Friday night for their fifth straight win.
Brett Gardner, Aaron Judge and Clint Frazier homered off Austin Pruitt but it was all about Tanaka as the Yankees won for the eighth time in 10 games and improved to 10-5 since the All-Star break. Didi Gregorius added an RBI single for New York's final run.
Tanaka (8-9) allowed a run and two hits and did not walk a batter.
He lost his perfect game bid when Adeiny Hechavarria hit his 69th pitch just past the diving attempt of shortstop Gregorius and into center field. Tanaka then rebounded and struck out Mallex Smith for a third time to reach 10 strikeouts.
Tanaka reached five three-ball counts all night, including to Tim Beckham, whom he struck out with a full-count sinker on the ninth pitch of the at-bat for the final out of the eighth.
The right-hander produced his 10th career double-digit strikeout game and surpassed his previous career high of 13 set in a 4-1 loss to the Oakland Athletics on May 26.
Tanaka struck out the side in the first and eighth, recorded at least one strikeout in every inning and had multiple strikeouts of Smith, Evan Longoria, Steven Souza Jr., Wilson Ramos and Beckham. The only player who did not strike out against Tanaka was Hechavarria.
Tanaka snapped a three-start winless skid against the Rays after posting a 20.25 ERA in two previous starts this season.
Pruitt (5-2) made his second career start and allowed five runs and four hits in five innings.
Lucas Duda made his debut for Tampa Bay after being acquired from the New York Mets on Thursday and broke up Tanaka's shutout with a homer in the seventh.
Tanaka recorded nine of his first 15 outs via strikeout, getting Smith and Souza Jr. two times apiece. He also struck out Duda on the 10th pitch of his at-bat with a sinker to start the second.
The Yankees took a 1-0 lead when Gardner hit his fourth leadoff homer of the season and went up 2-0 with one out in the fourth when Judge hit a 1-2 fastball over the left field wall.
New York upped the lead to 5-0 when Frazier hit an 0-1 pitch over the visiting bullpen and into the left-center field bleachers with two outs in the fifth.
NOTES: Tampa Bay made a trade for a third straight day, acquiring RHP Steve Cishek from the Seattle Mariners for RHP Erasmo Ramirez. Cishek is expected to be activated for Saturday's game and he will become the 49th player used by the Rays this season. ... RF Aaron Judge said his upper front left tooth was chipped by a batting helmet hitting his mouth during the celebration at the plate following CF Brett Gardner's game-winning homer in the 11th inning Thursday. Said manager Joe Girardi: "I'm sure the ribbing will continue for a number of days. This will not stop after today." ... New York DH Matt Holliday batted sixth in the starting lineup for the first time since July 19, 2005, at Washington when he was with the Colorado Rockies.
