Tanaka Perfect As New York Yankees Take Down Detroit (Highlights)
Mar 5, 2017; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka (19) throws a pitch during the first inning against the against the Pittsburgh Piratesat George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees cruised to an easy win against the Detroit Tigers thanks to a perfect performance by Masahiro Tanaka. 

  • Detroit Tigers: 1 (3-12)
  • New York Yankees: 7 (13-3)
  • Grapefruit League, FINAL, Box Score
  • George M. Steinbrenner Field, Tampa, FL
The New York Yankees easily handled the Detroit Tigers on Saturday afternoon, taking them down by a score of 7-1 thanks to three home runs and a masterful performance by Masahiro Tanaka.

 RELATED: Throw In From The Miller Deal Emerging As Legit Bullpen Threat 

Gary Sanchez got the scoring going for New York in the bottom of the first after Jacoby Ellsbury singled off Daniel Norris. Sanchez, who entered the game with three spring home runs, popped one up to right field but the ball kept carrying and carrying until it landed over the wall for a two-run homer. 

The young stud kept his day going in the fifth, as he drove in Brett Gardner on a RBI single off to center Edward Mujica to make it 3-1, Yankees. Matt Holliday, the next batter, launched a three-run jack to extend the Bomber’s lead to 6-1.

On the other side of the diamond, the pitching got it done. Tanaka kicked off the contest by hurling four perfect innings which included seven strikeouts in just his second start of the spring. Bryan Mitchell relieved the Yankees’ ace and pitched four innings as well and surrendered one run on three hits.

Manager Joe Girardi turned to right-hander J.R. Graham to close out the contest and he did just that by getting Gustavo Nunez to fly out to left and Jason Krizan to ground into a game-ending 3-6-1 double play to secure the Yankees’ 13th win of the spring (fifth in a row).

https://twitter.com/SalaDeportivaRD/status/840660286730317827

There’s A First: 

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Gleyber Torres slapped his first home run of spring training off former Yankee Justin Wilson. Entering the contest, the 20-year-old owned a .412/.421/.706 slash line with a 1.127 OPS in 11 games in Grapefruit League play.

He’ll be in Double-A Trenton to begin the 2017 regular season, but after his performance in the Arizona Fall League and showcase here in spring training, this kid could be on the fast-track to the Bronx.

Perfection: 

Tanaka made the most of his work Saturday afternoon by registering seven strikeouts over a perfect four innings of work. New York, who will enter 2017 with nothing but question marks surrounding its rotation, could unquestionably use the 2016 version of the 28-year-old yet again.

Last season, the righty pitched in 199.2 innings, the most by a Yankee since Hiroki Kuroda in 2014, and finished with the third-best ERA (3.07) among qualified American League starters behind Aaron Sanchez of the Toronto Blue Jays (3.00) and Justin Verlander (3.04) of the Detroit Tigers.

What’s Next? 

The Yankees will play their second consecutive game in the friendly confines of George M. Steinbrenner Field on Sunday as they play host to the Atlanta Braves.

CC Sabathia will make his second start of the spring coming off an outing in which he threw two scoreless innings and struck out a pair against the Tampa Bay Rays on March 7. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET and the contest can be heard on WFAN 660/101.9 FM.

 NEXT: An Aggressive Jacoby Ellsbury Makes the New York Yankees Much Better


 

-Follow ESNY - Elite Sports NY on Google News to keep up with the latest New York sports news.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR