Yanks keep on bashing the Orioles
Hit four more homers and win the opener of a doubleheader
New York — Gio Urshela turned on a Gabriel Ynoa fastball and sent the ball soaring over the visitor's bullpen and into the left-field bleachers, where it landed 461 feet from home plate.
"I didn't know that I had that power," the New York Yankees infielder said.
Against the Baltimore Orioles, all Yankees go deep.
Didi Gregorius, Gleyber Torres and Cameron Maybin also homered in Monday's opener of a day-night doubleheader, an 8-5 Yankees' victory that extended their winning streak against the Orioles to 13.
New York's team store has banners and T-shirts (at $29.99 each) heralding "Savages in the Box," manager Aaron Boone's infamous comment on his batters during his July 18 ejection, and its batters certainly have been barbarians against Baltimore with 56 home runs, eight more than the previous big league record for long balls against a team in a season.
"Unfortunately, they really don't miss any mistakes," Ynoa said through a translator after allowing all four homers.
Urshela had an RBI double, was a triple shy of the cycle and is hitting .328 with 18 homers and 63 RBIs. The 27-year-old was purchased by the Yankees from Toronto on Aug. 4 last year for $1 — that's not a typo — and was expected to help mostly with defense. He entered the season with eight homers and 39 RBIs over 167 games with Cleveland and Toronto but has become a key replacement on a roster missing Miguel Andújar for all but 12 games and Gregorius for the first 2½ months.
"It's confidence," Urshela said. "If you got a chance, you going to take advantage of the chance, and that's what I'm doing right now."
Urshela laughed when Torres and pitcher Luis Severino ribbed him in the dugout.
"From the start of spring training, it caught my eye his ability in batting practice to just throw 'em out to straightaway center off the batter's eye down there in Tampa," Boone said. "So, no, I'm not that surprised."
Gregorius hit a three-run homer in the first and his four RBIs raised his total to 35 in 47 games since returning from Tommy John surgery. He rolled over his left wrist going for a grounder on July 31, straining the area between his left ring finger and pinkie.
"Every time I take a swing, I do adjust the batting glove to make sure that everything stays in tight," he said. "Ain't much I can change about it. Pain tolerance, basically."
AL East-leading New York is 14-2 against Baltimore with three games left and has won 11 of its past 13 overall.
Ty Blach (0-0) was brought up to start the second game in his debut for the Orioles, who claimed him off waivers from San Francisco on Aug. 3. The Yankees planned to use Chad Green (2-3) as an opener, trying for their fifth sweep in six doubleheaders this season to go along with a split.
Baltimore has allowed an AL-record 245 homers, 13 from the season mark set by Cincinnati in 2016.