Alonso’s homer lifts M’s to 2-1 win over Yankees in 11 innings

By Bob Dutton

The News Tribune

NEW YORK — A word or two from Edgar Martinez about hitting is never a bad thing in any situation.

Yonder Alonso was about to face hard-throwing Yankees reliever Aroldis Chapman in a tie game Friday night with two outs in the 11th inning.

“I was talking to Edgar earlier when I was on deck,” Alonso said, “and he told me to just relax. Just let my legs work. And just try to touch it. Use my eyes and hopefully get a strike. Just hit it right up the middle.”

Alonso touched a 100-mph fastball from Chapman and sent it right up the middle and over the center-field wall for a homer that boosted the Mariners to a 2-1 victory at Yankee Stadium.

“He’s one of the best,” Alonso said. “He’s got such an overpowering fastball and an overpowering slider, you’re just hoping that, No. 1, you don’t get hit, and No. 2, you hopefully get a strike. And you just try to touch it.”

Edwin Diaz closed out the victory by stranding Brett Gardner at second base later in the inning for his 30th save. The victory went to lefty James Pazos, a Yankees castoff, who pitched a one-two-three 10th inning.

The victory boosted the Mariners to 66-63 and kept them one-half game behind Minnesota in the race for the American League’s final wild-card spot. It also pulled them to within three games of New York for the top wild-card berth.

Lefty Ariel Miranda held the Yankees scoreless and yielded just two hits but lasted just 4 2/3 innings because he walked four, hit a batter and worked a lot of deep counts.

The Mariners led 1-0 when Emilio Pagan replaced Miranda with two outs and a runner on second in the fifth inning. Pagan held the lead by retiring Aaron Judge, the AL home run leader, on a fly to center.

The bullpen nursed that lead — provided by Mike Zunino on a homer in the fourth inning against Yankees starter CC Sabathia — into the eighth before David Phelps’ shaky command and an error permitted New York to pull even.

It stayed 1-1 until Alonso turned Edgar’s tip into the winning run.

“Lucky for me,” Alonso said, “I got lucky.”