Gregorius drives in eight as Yanks rout Rays
Shortstop Didi Gregorius hit a pair of three-run home runs and set a career high with eight RBIs as the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 11-4 Tuesday in manager Aaron Boone's home debut at Yankee Stadium.
A day after six inches of snow delayed the home opener by 27 hours, Gregorius recorded his second career multi-homer performance in a game played in a misting rain. The game-time temperature of 40 was the second lowest in 10 home openers at the new Yankee Stadium.
Gregorius lined a three-run homer into the lower rows of the first level beyond the right field seats off Chris Archer in the third inning. With one out in the seventh, he sent a first-pitch fastball from Austin Pruitt (1-1) into the second deck in right field.
Gregorius drove in his final two runs with a two-run single in the eighth off Sergio Romo.
It was the most RBIs by a Yankee since Alex Rodriguez drove in 10 on April 26, 2005, when he hit three home runs against Bartolo Colon in a game against the Los Angeles Angels at the old Yankee Stadium. It also was the most RBIs by a Yankees shortstop in team history.
Gregorius' big effort occurred on a day when Giancarlo Stanton heard boos for striking out five times for the first time in his career.
Gregorius' second homer came after Tyler Austin snapped a 4-4 tie by scoring on a throwing error by Rays third baseman Matt Duffy on Brett Gardner's sacrifice attempt.
New York's four-run seventh also occurred after New York's Tyler Wade was robbed of a home run by Carlos Gomez, who leapt over the right field wall to make the catch.
Austin scored the tiebreaking run after the Tampa Bay overcame a 4-1 deficit in the sixth on Adeiny Hechavarria's bloop single off Jonathan Holder and pinch hitter Denard Span's two-run double off Tommy Kahnle.
Kahnle (1-0) struck out the side in the seventh.
Gregorius also scored on Wade's base hit in the second. Before Gregorius' final hit, Aaron Judge drew a bases-loaded walk in the eighth.
Tampa Bay scored its other run when Jesus Sucre scored on a throwing error by third baseman Brandon Drury in the third on a grounder by Duffy.
New York starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery allowed one run and two hits in five innings.
Archer allowed four runs and six hits in five innings.
--Field Level Media
