Jose Bautista's Two Homers Wasted as Yankees Topple Blue Jays; Yasiel Puig Legs Out Three Triples in Dodger Victory

Players of the Day for Friday, July 25, 2014

American League

Bautista: 2HR, 4RBI

Jose Bautista socked two homers - a three-run shot in the first inning and a solo job in the third - both off Yankee starter, Hiroki Kuroda - doubled later and accounted for all of Toronto's scoring, in a 6-4 loss at Yankee Stadium.

After the second Bautista home run, Kuroda (7-6) settled down, lasting 5 2/3rds innings for the win, moving the Yankees into sole possession of second place in the AL East, three games off the pace being set by the Baltimore Orioles (2-1 winners at Seattle). Toronto fell to four games out.

The pair of shots gave Bautista 20 homers on the year, marking the fifth straight season he's had at least 20 home runs. The Toronto slugger also has 60 RBI and is batting .297.

The Blue Jays will try to even the series at a game apiece, Saturday at 1:05 pm EDT.

National League

Puig: 3 Triples

The Dodgers opened their three-game series at San Francisco with a resounding, 8-1, triumph, clawing to within half a game of the NL West-leading Giants.

Yasiel Puig tied a 113-year-old franchise record with three triples and the team tied a franchise mark with five triples in the game, the most by a Dodger team since 1921.

Puig's extreme night of cardio work matched the effort of Jimmy Sheckard, a left fielder for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1901. Puig, playing his first game this season as the LA center fielder, added a double, drove in two runs and scored a pair.

Puig has eight triples on the season, is batting.315 with 12 home runs and 54 RBI.

Game two of the series is slated for a 6:05 pm PDT start on Saturday.