Sabathia gets 250th win as Yankees rout Rays
CC Sabathia pitched six innings of one-run ball for his 250th career victory, Gary Sanchez hit a three-run homer in a six-run first off Blake Snell, and Gleyber Torres hit his first career grand slam as the New York Yankees rolled to a 12-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays Wednesday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.
On his fourth attempt, Sabathia (4-4) became the 48th pitcher in baseball history to reach 250 career victories. He exited to a standing ovation from many in the crowd after ending his outing with a strikeout of Brandon Lowe.
Sabathia allowed three hits, struck out seven and walked three in a 94-pitch effort. He matched his longest outing of the season and finished one shy of his season high for strikeouts. Sabathia worked with a comfortable lead as the Yankees roughed up Snell (4-6) and knocked him out seven batters into the game with one out in the first. Snell allowed six runs on two hits and four walks.
Snell produced the shortest start of his career. According to STATS, he is the first reigning Cy Young Award winner to allow at least six runs and not get more than one out in a start.
The Yankees won their fifth straight and homered for the 22nd straight game. It is their second-longest homer streak in team history, three behind the record set from June 1-29, 1941.
During the 37-minute first inning, Sanchez made it 3-0 by lining a 3-1 breaking ball into the right field seats for his 21st homer.
The Yankees made it 4-0 when Gio Urshela was hit in the foot by a pitch from reliever Colin Poche with the bases loaded and extended their lead to 6-0 on DJ LeMahieu's RBI single.
The Yankees did not get another hit until the seventh inning, which was their second six-run inning. Sanchez had an RBI double, Edwin Encarnacion hit an RBI single and Torres slugged his 16th homer.
Tampa Bay scored its lone run in the fifth on an RBI double by Tommy Pham.
The Rays lost for the seventh time in nine games and dropped a season-high 3 1/2 games out of first place. Tampa Bay also fell to 2-7 against the Yankees in the season series, lost for the 10th time in its last 13 visits to New York and ended the game with infielder Daniel Robertson on the mound.
--Field Level Media
