Gregorius plates eight as Yankees drub Rays
Team overcomes five Stanton strikeouts
NEW YORK — Didi Gregorius hit a pair of three-run homers and drove in a career-high eight RBIS, and the New York Yankees overcame five strikeouts by Giancarlo Stanton in his first game in pinstripes to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 11-4 on Tuesday in Aaron Boone’s chilly first home opener as manager.
Starting his fourth season as Derek Jeter’s successor as the Yankees shortstop, Gregorius had four hits and walked, setting a major league record for RBIS by a player in a home opener. He also set a Yankees record for RBIS by a shortstop.
He doubled and scored in the second, and his first homer put the Yankees ahead 4-1 in the third against Chris Archer. After New York’s bullpen wasted a three-run lead for the second straight game, Gregorius drove an 0-2 pitch from Austin Pruitt (1-1) into the second deck in the seventh. He blooped an opposite-field two-run single to left in the eighth.
When the Yankees agreed to acquire Stanton from Miami on Dec. 9, Gregorius tweeted: “Hey Skip am i still batting 4th ???”
That’s exactly where he was, following Aaron Judge and Stanton in the batting order.
Fans rewarded Gregorius with a curtain call — he said it was his first in New York — after his second career multihomer game, and his teammates pranked him at the start of the eighth by failing to follow him onto the field. Gregorius turned and stuck out his gloved arm, surprised, when he realized no one was behind him.
Stanton was booed in the eighth inning after the first five-strikeout game of his big league career.
New York improved to 3-2 under Boone, who took over when Joe Girardi was fired after a decade in charge. Tampa Bay has lost four straight since beating Boston in its opener.
A day after New York’s home opener was postponed because of 5 1/2 inches of snow, the game started slightly late at 4:19 p.m. in a light, steady rain and with a 40-degree temperature. The stands were halffull despite an announced crowd of 46,776, and the Yankees called off the pregame introductions that Boone had been looking forward to.
Tommy Kahnle (1-0) won despite allowing a tying, two-run double to pinch-hitter Denard Span on an 0-2 pitch with two outs in a three-run sixth. The Yankees regained the lead just before Gregorius’ homer when Tyler Austin scored from second as Brett Gardner sacrificed and third baseman Matt Duffy threw wildly past first.