Field Level Media
Aug 27, 2019
Rookie Mike Ford homered in consecutive at-bats, and the New York Yankees continued their nine-game West Coast trip with a 5-4 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Monday night.
The Yankees improved to 3-4 on the trip and beat the Mariners for the 16th time in the last 20 meetings thanks to Ford's first career multi-homer game.
A night after homering off Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, Ford capped a four-run second inning with a two-run homer, and he connected again in the fourth against Tommy Milone (3-8). Ford gave the Yankees a 4-0 lead by lining a first-pitch fastball down the right field line and made it 5-3 by blasting a 2-2 fastball.
Ford became the 23rd different player to produce a multi-homer game for New York this year. The Yankees also extended their major league record for homers in a month to 64.
Gleyber Torres started the four-run second with his team-leading 33rd homer, a 438-foot shot to center on the first pitch of the inning. Austin Romine preceded Ford's first homer with an RBI single.
Dylan Moore hit a three-run homer and Mallex Smith hit a solo homer for the Mariners, who lost for the third time in their past nine games.
New York left-hander J.A. Happ (11-8) allowed three runs on two hits in five innings. He struggled in the second inning, but after Moore hit a 1-1 changeup over the center field fence, Happ retired 10 of the final 12 hitters he faced.
Happ walked three and struck out seven, including Keon Broxton for the final out of the second. Broxton was ejected by plate umpire Manny Gonzalez for tossing his helmet and batting glove, which hit Gonzalez in the face.
Cory Gearrin was called for a balk and faced three batters in the sixth before Nestor Cortes Jr. finished the inning. Cortes gave up Smith's homer but ended the seventh with two strikeouts.
Tommy Kahnle struck out two in a scoreless eighth. Aroldis Chapman fanned two in a perfect ninth and converted his 36th save in 41 opportunities, ending the game by reaching 102 mph on a strikeout of Moore.
Matt Wisler began the game as Seattle's opener and retired the side on 12 pitches before exiting. Milone entered and allowed five runs on eight hits in five innings.
--Field Level Media