Bregman helps ruin Jeter’s ceremony

Third baseman’s first career grand slam powers Astros.

Proudly wear- ing No. 2 in tribute to Derek Jeter, the Houston Astros’ Alex Bregman drove a split- ter into the left-field seats, capping a six-run first inning off Masahiro Tanaka with his first home run this season and first big league grand slam.

As Bregman rounded third base on Mother’s Day, he pointed toward his mom Jackie in the stands. She was raised on Long Island in East Islip, rooted for the Yankees and named the family’s dog, a Labrador Retriever, after Jeter.

“Guess it was the No. 2 magic tonight,” Bregman said. “My mom grew up the biggest Jeter fan ever.”

George Springer led off the game with a drive into Monument Park just after Jeter’s number was retired there in a pregame ceremony. Josh Reddick homered off the facing of the right-field second deck on the next pitch, and Springer also homered leading off the second. The Astros built a nine-run lead and held on for a 10-7 win over New York and a double- header split Sunday.

“It was always kind of our dream to be able to play here and play in the big leagues and playing in her home city,” Bregman said. “Watch- ing her favorite team, watching her favorite player get his jersey retired was a pretty special moment.”

Bregman homered just as Jeter was holding a news conference under the stands following the between-games ceremony, which came after the Yankees won the opener 11-6. The 23-year-old third baseman, who made his big league debut last year, viewed the tribute from Houston’s dugout.

“You get chills watching some of those moments: the flip, the home runs, the jump throws in the hole,” said Bregman, whose only disappointment was he did not get to meet Jeter.

The Astros, a big leaguebest 26-12, chased Tanaka when Carlos Beltran added an RBI double with two outs in the second. Tanaka (5-2) left to jeers with New York trailing 8-0, the most runs he allowed in his major league career.

“I didn’t get my job done, so they have all the right to boo me,” Tanaka said through a translator.

Charlie Morton (5-2) gave up four runs in 5⅔ innings, including Matt Holliday’s three-run homer in a fourrun fifth. Morton had 10 of the 16 strikeouts by Astros pitchers, including seven in a row, as Houston took three of four in the series. teri