Gary Sanchez Homers Twice As Yanks Bomb Red Sox; Arizona's Chris Iannetta Delivers 7 In Rout Of Padres

Players of the Day for Thursday, June 8, 2017

American League

Sanchez: 2 HR, 5 RBI

While Michael Pineda was keeping the Boston Red Sox off the base paths, allowing no earned runs on four hits over seven innings, fanning eight, his battery-mate was doing all the scoring the Yankees would need in a 9-1 rout.

Taking the rubber game of their three-game series, catcher Gary Sanchez was busy providing souvenirs to the outfield seating patrons with a pair of home runs.

Sanchez, who missed nearly a month in April, socked his seventh and eight bombs of the season - both of Boston starter David Price - a three-run homer in the third and a two-run blast in the fifth. Sanchez earlier scored the first of the Yankee runs by walking and scoring on a Brett Gardner single in the opening frame.

The win cemented New York's position as the top team in the AL East division, leading the Red Sox by three games and Baltimore by 3 1/2. The Yankees host Baltimore in the opener of a three-game series on Friday, 7:35 pm ET. The Red Sox also head home, to host three with the Detroit Tigers.

National League

With a record of 37-25, trailing the Rockies by two games in the NL West, it's safe to say the Arizona Diamondbacks are for real.

Iannetta: 3-for-5, 7 RBI

One would get no dispute from division rival San Diego, who just dropped three straight to the Diamondbacks, losing the finale by a whopping 15-3 margin.

Doing more than his fair share of the damage was catcher Chris Iannetta, who went 3-for-5, scored three times and knocked in seven runs.

The Padres actually held a 3-2 lead after four innings, but that was before Iannetta began his batting barrage. In the fifth, Iannetta launched his eighth homer of the year, with a man aboard, putting Arizona up, 4-3. In the middle of a six-run sixth, he belted a bases-loaded double to right, and, in the eighth, Iannetta doubled again, this time plating a pair.

The victory was the third straight over San Diego, which Arizona won by a combined score of 32-9.

Arizona hosts NL Central leader Milwaukee Friday in the opener of a three-game series. Game time is 6:40 pm PT.