It's bombs away again for Yankees, who sweep Mariners

by Felix Pantaleon

Aaron Judge and Miguel Andujar hit two-run homers in the first inning of the Yankees’ 4-3 win over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday, June 21, 2018 (6/21/18). Luis Severino picked up his 11th win as the Yankees sweep the three-game series from the Mariners.

NEW YORK — The Yankees have so much power up and down their lineup that they often don’t need great pitching to win ballgames.

Luis Severino, their ace, was just so-so not getting through six innings Thursday afternoon at Yankee Stadium, and it didn’t matter.

The Yankees still won 4-3 to sweep the Seattle Mariners because they muscled their way to four first-inning runs and their lights-out bullpen was exceptional again.

The day after the Yankees got a game-tying homer in the eighth from Gary Sanchez and walk-off blast from Giancarlo Stanton to win 7-5 Wednesday night after trailing 5-0 through 4 1/2 innings, the long ball had them up big early in the series finale.

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Facing Mariners ace James Paxton, Aaron Judge and Miguel Andujar launched two-run blasts off the lefty in the first for a quick 4-0 lead.

Clint Frazier, making his big-league debut in center and as the Yankees’ leadoff hitter, started the first of with an opposite-field hit to right, then Judge hammered a 96-mph, 3-2 fastball into the right-center field seats.

Two outs later, the Baby Bombers teamed up, as Gleyber Torres singled to left and Andujar followed with a Yankee Stadium homer that dropped into the seats behind the short right-field porch.

Six batters into the Yankees first ups, they had four runs on the board facing a lefty who had no-hit the Toronto Blue Jays earlier this season.

The homer was No. 10 for Andujar, who became the seventh Yankee to hit double figures.

Judge’s 19th passed Stanton for the team lead.

Overall, the Yankees now have an MLB-best 122 homers in 72 games. Boston was a distant second heading into Thursday with 105 in 75 games.

The 1997 Seattle Mariners have the single-season record with 264, and the Yankees are a 275 pace.

Severino (11-2) became the majors’ second 11-game winner despite turning in a three-run, 5 2/3-inning outing.

Severino was knocked out in the sixth after Ben Gamel delivered a two-out hit to make it a 4-3 game, then David Robertson came on to retire Mike Zunino on a flyout with the tying and go-ahead runners aboard.

From there, the Yankees bullpen put away the Mariners. Robertson pitched around a leadoff single (to Austin Romine’s big brother Andrew) in the seventh, red-hot Dellin Betances pitched a 1-2-3 eighth and Aroldis Chapman worked the ninth for his 22nd save in 23 chances.

NOTABLE

— Left fielder Brett Gardner still hasn’t played since last Saturday due to a sore knee, but he’s been feeling a lot better and expects to start Friday night when the Yankees open a series at Tampa Bay.

— The Yankees activated right-hander Luis Cessa from the disabled list before the game and sent righty A.J. Cole to the DL with a pinched nerve in his neck.

— First baseman Greg Bird was 0 for 3 with a walk and two strikeouts. He’s 1-for-12 in his last four games and hitting .205 for the season.

— The Yankees improved their MLB best record to 18-5 against left-handed starters.

LOOKING AHEAD

Friday: Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays, 7:10 p.m., WPIX. LHP CC Sabathia (4-2, 3.30) vs. RHP Ryne Stanek (1-1, 2.31).

Saturday: Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays, 4:10 p.m., FS1. RHP Sonny Gray (5-4, 4.89) vs. RHP Wilmer Font (0-1, 5.87).

Sunday: Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays, 1:10 p.m., YES. RHP Domingo German (2-4, 4.77) vs. LHP Blake Snell (9-4, 2.48).

Randy Miller may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com on Facebook.