Field Level Media
Sep 1, 2018
Gleyber Torres hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the fifth inning, and the host New York Yankees recorded a 2-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium in the return of Gary Sanchez and debut of Andrew McCutchen.
After getting the go-ahead, two-run, bases-loaded single Friday, Torres gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead when he hammered a 1-0 breaking ball from Daniel Norris (0-3) into the first row of the left field bleachers.
Besides being the rookie infielder's 22nd homer, it was New York's first hit of the game. It also lifted the Yankees to their 11th win in 15 games.
McCutchen batted leadoff and went 0-for-3 after being acquired from the San Francisco Giants on Friday. Cleanly shaven to adhere to New York's facial hair policy, McCutchen struck out in his first two at-bats, was hit by pitch on the sleeve in the fifth and grounded out in the eighth.
Sanchez returned looking noticeably slimmer after missing 36 games with a second DL stint due to a groin injury. In his first action since July 23, the catcher went 0-for-4.
Masahiro Tanaka (10-5) won for the first time in his last six starts, allowing one run on seven hits while striking out six in seven innings. He joined Andy Pettitte as the second pitcher in Yankee history to get double-digit wins in each of his first five seasons.
Tanaka wriggled out of a jam in the seventh. With runners on second and third and nobody out, he ended his outing by retiring Dawel Lugo on a groundout and getting strikeouts of Mikie Mahtook and Jim Adduci.
Jonathan Holder pitched a scoreless eighth, and Dellin Betances worked around a two-out hit by JaCoby Jones in the ninth for his second save of the season after allowing two homers in the ninth inning Thursday.
Victor Martinez drove in the lone run for Detroit with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the first, as the Tigers lost for the seventh time in eight games.
Norris was activated from the disabled list after missing more than four months with a left groin injury. In his first appearance since April 29, he allowed two runs on one hit and struck out seven in 4 1/3 innings before exiting with cramping in his left calf.
--Field Level Media