The New York Yankees got the scoring going early and often during their 11-2 win over the Seattle Mariners Tuesday night. New York scored six runs in the first four innings and scored a run in six of the nine innings. However, a defensive play sparked the Yankees, per manager Aaron Boone.
Boone said his team's heads-up play in the bottom of the first to nab Mariners outfielder Victor Robles at the plate was huge for the Yanks. Even though New York had a cushion, it ended a long inning for starter Luis Gil.
“He was delaying from first a lot and we were kind of aware of him over there, like, he could do something. But 3-0 count, that felt like a big break, a little bit of a gift for us there,” Boone said, per ESPN.
It was the first time Robles was caught stealing this season. He'd swiped 25 straight bags without being thrown out in 2024. He appeared to injure his hand on the play and left the game, but X-rays on his hand were negative.
The Yankees kept piling it on, scoring runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Juan Soto hit his 40th home run of the season and the 200th homer of his career, becoming the seventh-youngest MLB player to reach that number. The Yanks collected 12 hits while Luis Gil allowed one run across five innings with the hefty lead.
Yankees one foot into postseason as division lead grows
It's hard for the Yankees not to look forward to the playoffs with the way they're playing lately. Winners of five of six, New York is nearing 90 wins as their lead in the American League East grows.
The Yankees are now four games ahead of the Baltimore Orioles with just over a week left in the regular season. It's their largest lead since being up 4 1/2 games in early June.
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While their hold on the division seems to be settled, the Yankees still have to play for the No. 1 seed in the American League. That would guarantee them home-field advantage through the ALCS. They're not far off from the Philadelphia Phillies for the best record in MLB but time is not on their side for that.
The Yankees and Orioles meet one more time next week in a series that will tell a lot about both teams. The Yanks might already be on the verge of the division title by then.
New York has two more games with the Mariners and a series with Oakland A's before that date with the Orioles.
