YANK GAME DAY

Independence Day eve saw some fireworks in the Bronx.

In a game with six combined home runs, the Yankees topped the Braves Tuesday night, 8-5, after seeing a six-run lead shrink to one before Giancarlo Stanton’s insurance two-run homer in the eighth. Nick Markakis’ two-run homer in the seventh off Adam Warren cut the Yanks’ lead to one. The ball hit off the top of the fence as Stanton leapt a couple of feet to the right. He took off a part of the outfield padding on the way down and was checked by a trainer afterward. Two pitches later he made a leaping catch in front of the wall to deny Kurt Suzuki an extra-base hit.

The Bombers (55-28) continue to crush baseballs at a historic pace, mashing three more to give them 141 homers for the season. They’re on pace for 275 homers, which would break the MLB single-season mark (264) set by the Mariners in 1997.

Aaron Hicks gave the Yankees an early lead with a two-run homer in the first inning. Kyle Higashioka then stroked a solo homer in the second.