Yanks Ties Ks Record, 1-Hit Seattle for 17th Straight Loss; Greg Dobbs Powers Streaky Marlins

Players of the Day for Tuesday, July 26, 2011

American League

Sabathia: 14 Ks

Sending the Seattle Mariners to their 17th straight loss, Yankees' pitching was at its finest Tuesday night in the Bronx. Starter C.C. Sabathia struck out 14 and took a perfect game into the 7th inning, spoiled by Seattle's only hit of the game, a one-out, seeing-eye single to left by Brendan Ryan.

Robertson: 20th Hold

In the 8th, Sabathia returned to the mound for the second time following a rain delay and this time could not locate the plate, walking the first three batters he faced. Enter David Robertson, who gave up a sac fly but struck out a pair of Mariners and got out of the jam, allowing just the one run for his 20th hold of the season.

In the 9th, Mariano Rivera put the M's down in order, also blazing two Seattle would-be hitters to tie the Yankee mark for Ks in a game at 18. The original total was set by Ron Guidry, back in 1978.

Rivera: 585 saves

The Mariners are four shy of matching Baltimore's AL-record 21-game losing streak which started the 1988 season. The 1961 Phillies dropped 23 straight for the modern major league mark.

Sabathia became the first major leaguer with 15 wins this season, improving to 15-5 with the 4-1 win. It was Rivera's 26th save of the year and the 585th of his career, just 16 saves away from the all-time saves record of 601 held by Trevor Hoffman. Rivera has recorded 25 or more saves in 15 consecutive seasons.

The Yankees won their third straight to remain two back of Boston in the AL East. The Red Sox outlasted Kansas City, 13-9.

National League

Greg Dobbs was just plain trouble for Nationals' hurlers in Florida's 11-2 win at Washington.

Greg Dobbs

The part-time first baseman started out slowly, but built his way to a 3-for-5 effort at the plate, getting runs home with each at-bat.

Dobbs got the Marlins on the board with a 1st inning ground out that plated Omar Infante. In the third, he hit into a double play, but another Marlin run scored. Dobbs smacked a solo homer in the 5th, singled home a run in the 7th and drove in two more with a single in the 9th, giving him five RBI for the game.

The Marlins, the streakiest team in the majors, won their third straight after dropping four in a row, but remain 15 1/2 games out of first place in the rugged NL East. The win got hem out of last place, 1/2 game ahead of the Nationals.

STREAKS: Seattle lost #17 in a row and will go for #18 in Wednesday's series wrap-up against the Yankees. Florida's Emilio Bonifacio extended his hitting streak to 24 games, going 2-for-4 in the Marlins' win over Washington.