The Sports Xchange
Jun 1, 2017
TORONTO -- Aaron Hicks had four hits and six RBIs, Gary Sanchez hit two home runs, and CC Sabathia pitched into the seventh inning as the New York Yankees defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 12-2 on Thursday night.
Sanchez had three RBIs and Matt Holliday added three hits for the Yankees (31-20) in the opener of a four-game series.
Sabathia (6-2) allowed five hits and two runs while striking out seven in 6 1/3 innings. He finished the start with 2,779 career strikeouts to pass Frank Tanana (2,773) for fourth on the all-time list for left-handed pitchers.
Kendrys Morales and Ezequiel Carrera homered for the Blue Jays (26-28), who just completed an 18-10 May.
Blue Jays starter Marco Estrada (4-3) allowed nine hits, two walks and seven runs in 3 2/3 innings. He served up both of Sanchez's homers.
Leonel Campos replaced Estrada and pitched well for three innings. He allowed only a walk until second baseman Darwin Barney's two-out error on a grounder by Didi Gregorius in the seventh set up two unearned runs. Hicks followed with an RBI double and Chase Headley had an RBI single that gave New York a 9-0 lead.
Morales led off the bottom of the seventh with his 11th homer of the season. Sabathia struck out Justin Smoak and was replaced by Chad Green.
Carrera led off the bottom of the eighth with his fourth homer of the season.
Holliday and Didi Gregorius singled in the ninth against J.P. Howell and Hicks drove them home with a double. Headley greeted Ryan Tepera with an RBI single.
The Yankees scored four runs in the first.
Brett Gardner led off with a double, advanced to third on a line out to center by Sanchez and scored on a single by Aaron Judge. A single by Holliday moved Judge to third and Starlin Castro walked to load the bases. Gregorius struck out, but Hicks cleared the bases with a double to right on a changeup.
Sanchez homered with two out in the second to increase New York's lead to 5-0.
The Yankees catcher hit his second homer of the game and sixth of the season with one out in the fourth inning after Gardner singled for a 7-0 lead. Both Sanchez's homers against Estrada were on changeups.
NOTES: Toronto designated RHP Mike Bolsinger for assignment and recalled RHP Leonel Campos from Triple-A Buffalo. Bolsinger was 0-2 with a 5.61 ERA in four starts with the Blue Jays. ... Yankees SS Didi Gregorius was back in the lineup after being given the day off Wednesday at Baltimore after being hit on the hand by a pitch on Tuesday. He went 1-for-5 with two runs. ... Toronto C Russell Martin and 2B Devon Travis were out of the starting lineup Thursday to give them a rest. ... Yankees RHP Michael Pineda (6-2, 3.32 ERA) faces Blue Jays LHP Francisco Liriano (2-2, 6.35 ERA) on Friday. It will be Liriano's first start since May 10 because of a sore shoulder.