The New York Yankees defeat the Detroit Tigers behind Tanaka and the long ball

The New York Yankees defeated the Detroit Tigers on Saturday afternoon.  The game took place at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida and the final score was 7-1.   Masahiro Tanaka started for the Yankees and he was perfect.  Jacoby Ellsbury and Gary Sanchez each had two hits to lead the offense.  The offense also had three homeruns. 

Tanaka pitched four perfect innings with seven strikeouts and picked up the win.  Bryan Mitchell pitched four innings giving up three hits and a run with a walk and two strikeouts and J.R. Graham pitched a perfect inning. 

Brett Gardner had a hit, Ellsbury had two hits and Sanchez had two hits and three RBI.  Austin Romine had a hit, Matt Holliday had a hit and three RBI and Greg Bird had a hit.  Starlin Castro drew a walk, Gleyber Torres had a hit and an RBI and Miguel Andujar had a hit.  Ronald Torreyes had a hit, Bird, Romine and Andujar each hit a double.  Sanchez, Holliday and Torres each hit a homerun and the Yankees were 2-7 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base.  Graham committed an error and Ellsbury had an outfield assist. 

In the first Sanchez hit a two-run homerun to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead.  In the fifth Dixon Machado hit an RBI single to cut the lead to 2-1.  In the bottom of the fifth Sanchez hit an RBI single to push the lead to 3-1.  Holliday hit a three-run homerun and the lead was extended to 6-1 and then in the sixth Torres hit a solo homerun to make it 7-1 which would be the final score.