J.D. blasts three HRs as Tigers rout Yanks
NEW YORK -- J.D. Martinez homered three times and Victor Martinez homered once as the Tigers turned the tables on the Yankees during a 12-4 victory on Sunday at Yankee Stadium.
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Victor Martinez got the scoring started early for the Tigers with a two-run homer in the first. J.D. Martinez followed suit moments later to give Detroit a quick 4-0 lead. J.D. Martinez homered again in the fifth and once more in the sixth.
"It was just one of those days where you take swings and you're actually hitting the ball how you want to hit it," J.D. Martinez said. "There's not too many of those days, so you've just got to take advantage of them."
Brian McCann hit a solo shot and Stephen Drew went deep twice, but it wasn't enough for the Yanks, who snapped a four-game winning streak.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Wake up with home runs: The Tigers started this day game with two home runs in the first inning. Victor Martinez and J.D. Martinez each hit two-run shots to stop Masahiro Tanaka's hot streak early. It was the second time in Tanaka's career he's allowed multiple home runs in the same inning.
Video: DET@NYY: V-Mart opens scoring with two-run homer
Not his day: Tanaka struggled mightily Sunday, snapping his five-game streak of allowing two runs or fewer. The seven runs he allowed -- five earned -- were a season high, as were the 10 hits he gave up. The three home runs he allowed were a career high. More >
"It's baseball," manager Joe Girardi said. "For whatever reason he didn't have it today."
Video: DET@NYY: Girardi discusses Tanaka, loss to Tigers
A first … then another: J.D. Martinez's fifth-inning home run was his second of the afternoon, giving him his first career multi-home run game. He topped that with yet another home run in his next at-bat, giving him his first three-homer game. He finished 3-for-5 with a career-high six RBIs. More >
Video: DET@NYY: J.D. Martinez on career-high three homers
Not their day, either: The Yankees' bullpen struggled with the Tigers just as much as Tanaka did, combining to give up five runs in four innings. Danny Burawa made his Major League debut, only to be yanked after two-thirds of an inning having allowed three hits and four runs. Jose De Paula, who was also making his big league debut, gave up a homer on the first pitch he threw to Andrew Romine.
Video: DET@NYY: Romine drills solo home run in the 6th
QUOTABLE
"I don't think he was in his own head. I feel like if he said it was a mechanical thing, then I'm sure he'll get that ironed out before his next start." -- McCann, on Tanaka
WHAT'S NEXT
Tigers: The Tigers head to Cleveland for a three-game series between two American League Central rivals. Left-hander Kyle Ryan (1-1, 3.26 ERA) will make his third start of the season on Monday at 7:10 p.m. ET.
Yankees: The Phillies come to town Monday at 7:05 p.m. ET for the first of a three-game series in the Bronx. The Yankees will send right-handed pitcher Michael Pineda (8-3, 3.54 ERA) to the mound. Pineda is 1-0 in his only career start against the Phillies, a six-inning outing when he was with the Mariners in 2011.
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