Rookie giving boost to Yankees

Torrid-hitting Miguel Andujar insists his focus is solely on helping the New York Yankees reach the playoffs.

If a byproduct of that quest is an AL Rookie of the Year Award, well, the 23-year-old will savour the accomplishment during the off-season.

Andujar homered and had four RBIs, J.A. Happ pitched six sharp innings to win his fifth straight start with the Yankees and New York breezed to a 10-3 rout of the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday in the opener of a split doubleheader.

After driving in a first-inning run with a groundout, Andujar put the Yankees up 5-2 in the third with a threerun shot off Jimmy Yacabonis (0-2).

With his 42nd multihit game, Andujar raised his batting average since the All-Star break to .344. He leads all AL rookies in hitting (.298), RBIs (70) and is second in home runs (21).

“He’s a special kind of talent,” Happ said. “The production has been huge for us.”

Teammate Aaron Judge was a unanimous pick as rookie of the year in 2017, and Andujar just might make it two in a row for New York.

“At the end of it all, if it happens, it happens,” Andujar said through an interpreter. “We are trying accomplish something bigger here than individual awards.”

Brett Gardner, Gleyber Torres and Aaron Hicks hit solo shots for the Yankees, who have won six of seven to move a season-high 34 games over .500 (81-47).

Giancarlo Stanton just missed joining the long-ball party. Seeking his 33rd homer of the season, Stanton was poised to break into a trot around the bases when his sixth-inning drive to centre field ended up in the glove of a leaping Cedric Mullins , who reached over the 7-foot wall and snagged the ball in the webbing.