HICKS’ INSIDE JOB!
DETROIT — Aaron Hicks ran 360 feet, made a Superman dive toward home and smiled.
Hicks hit two homers — including a two-run, inside-the-parker in the second inning — and the Yankees held on for an 8-6 victory over the lowly Tigers on Friday night at Comerica Park.
Hicks, playing just his second game since coming off the DL with a Grade 1 rib muscle strain, reached base four times and had three RBI.
“It’s not something you do every day, you don’t run around all four (bases). I was exhausted,” Hicks said. “It’s fun.”
Jordan Montgomery was solid on the mound, allowing three runs on five hits in six-plus innings. He walked none and struck out four.
Dellin Betances had an awful eighth, surrendering three runs on five hits in only two-thirds of an inning — including a leadoff homer to Jeimer Candelario. Chad Green had to clean up his mess, striking out Dixon Machado looking with runners on first and second.
Aroldis Chapman finished things off by striking out three in the ninth.
Brett Gardner, who did not commit an error in 2017, committed a throwing error in the seventh. It was the Yankees’ AL-leading 14th of the year.
Aaron Judge extended his hitting streak to 11 games with an RBI single.
Nick Castellanos misplayed Gary Sanchez’s lined double in the second. Hicks followed with his first roundtripper — which stayed in the park.
Hicks added a solo shot over the right-field wall in the sixth.
Giancarlo Stanton, facing Mike Fiers, the pitcher who hit him in the face in 2014, went 0-for-3 against him.