SEATTLE — Austin Romine helped the Yankees inch closer to the AL wild-card game Saturday night that many believe he should be the starting catcher in over Gary Sanchez.
Romine’s opposite-field solo homer to right field off Nick Vincent with the score tied in the seventh inning helped lift the Yankees to a 4-2 win over the Mariners in front of 38,733 at Safeco Field.
The victory kept the Yankees 3 ½ games ahead of the A’s in the chase for the top wild-card spot that guarantees the winner of playing the one-and-done contest at home.
Coupled with the Red Sox losing to the Astros, the Yankees moved to 7 ½ games of the AL East leaders with 20 to play, which means something to those who believe in miracles.
Gleyber Torres, who went 2-for-3, drove in the final run with a sacrifice fly to right in the ninth that scored Tyler Wade with an insurance run.
Zach Britton worked a clean seventh and David Robertson struck out three in the eighth on a cut fastball, slider and curveball.
Dellin Betances gave up a leadoff double to Mitch Haniger in the ninth before striking out Jean Segura. Betances then hit Robinson Cano in the left foot and forced Cano out of the game.
That brought Nelson Cruz (34 homers) to the plate and he walked to load the bases for Denard Span. Betances got ahead, 1-2 and struck Span out with a 98-mph fastball. Kyle Seager was next and he struck out on a 1-2 slider. It was Betances’ third save.
The cry for Romine over Sanchez in the wild-card game is real because Romine is the better defender, and in a game with such finality it would be crushing to lose due to a passed ball or a wild pitch that isn’t blocked. Entering Saturday’s action, Sanchez was tied for the MLB lead in passed balls with 13 and was behind the plate for 37 wild pitches.
After two subpar starts in which Lance Lynn gave up nine earned runs and 16 hits in 9 ¹/₃ innings the right-hander limited the Mariners to two runs and three hits in six innings and is 2-2 in eight games (seven starts) with the Yankees.
Andrew McCutchen opened the game with a home run off Felix Hernandez who left in fifth inning with a tight right hamstring. Giancarlo Stanton, who has one hit in the last 28 at-bats, drove a run in with a sacrifice fly in fifth that gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead.
The Mariners went 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position in the first inning when they failed to score. Four frames later Dee Gordon, the No. 9 hitter, dropped a two-out, opposite-field single into shallow left field that scored former Yankee prospect Ben Gamel from second and tied the score, 2-2.
With Haniger at the plate, Gordon attempted to swipe second and was thrown out by Romine to end the inning.
Hernandez left the game in the fifth inning with what looked like a leg injury after walking McCutchen with Brett Gardner on second and no outs. Gardner opened the inning with a four-pitch walk.
Right-hander Shawn Armstrong replaced Hernandez and watched Gardner and McCutchen advance a base each when catcher Mike Zunino was charged with a passed ball with Stanton at the plate.
Stanton, who was in a 3-for-27 slide, lofted a fly to right that plated Gardner for a 2-1 lead and advanced McCutchen to third. Aaron Hicks smoked a liner to the left side that was caught by shortstop Jean Segura and doubled off McCutchen for the inning’s final out.
Zunino started the game hitting .189 and 18 homers, tied the score, 1-1, with a towering solo home run to center field leading off the third inning against Lynn.
Hernandez’ fourth pitch of the game was tucked inside the left-field foul pole by McCutchen. It was McCutchen’s second homer as a Yankee and second in as many games.
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