Joey Gallo hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the seventh inning, lifting the New York Yankees to a 5-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series at Yankee Stadium.
Two-out singles by Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton off Paul Sewald (6-3) put Gallo in position to deliver his biggest hit since being acquired from the Texas Rangers a week ago.
Gallo delivered when he lifted a 1-0 slider into the right field seats to give New York the 5-3 lead.
It was Gallo’s 26th homer of the season and it lifted the Yankees to their sixth win in seven games since adding him and Anthony Rizzo in a pair of deadline trades. Gallo also doubled twice and had three hits as the Yankees moved a season-high 10 games over .500.
After completing his trot around the bases, the crowd chanted his name which he acknowledged with a wave.
Kyle Seager and rookie Jarred Kelenic homered for Seattle, which fell to 3-4 on a 10-game road trip. Mitch Haniger also drove in a run with a sacrifice fly for the Mariners.
The Yankees scored their first two runs via outs on a sacrifice fly by Gleyber Torres in the second and a slow grounder by Kyle Higashioka.
Higashioka’s soft grounder just inside the foul line tied the game in the fourth but Kelenic gave Seattle a 3-2 lead when he opened the seventh by connecting off Chad Green on a 1-1 curveball that landed in the first row of the right field seats.
Green (5-5) recovered from allowing Kelenic’s fifth career homer and ended the seventh by fanning Haniger.
Zack Britton allowed two hits in the eighth but started an inning-ending double play. Aroldis Chapman put two on in the ninth but retired Haniger to end it and get his 23rd save in 27 chances.
Seattle left-hander Tyler Anderson allowed two runs on five hits in five innings. He struck out four and walked two.
New York left-hander Nestor Cortes Jr. allowed two runs and five hits in five innings. He struck out two and walked three.
–Field Level Media