SEATTLE — The Yankees keep rolling on, putting this one away before they even had a chance to miss A-Rod or Jorge Posada.
Derek Jeter homered before leaving early to rest, Hideki Matsui had his fourth career two-home run game and a season-high five RBIs and starter CC Sabathia struck out a season-high 10 as New York began its longest road trip of the year with an 11-1 easy win over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night.
The Yankees had a 5-0 lead one out into the third inning without Alex Rodriguez, who may also miss Friday with a bruised elbow, and without Posada, their bruised catcher who said he could have played.
They didn’t need either one.
Sabathia (13-7) mixed a 96 mph fastball with sinkers and dancing off-speed pitches that had the AL’s lowest-scoring team flailing. He allowed just three hits and a solo home run in eight innings. It was his fifth win in six decisions.
And recently acquired Jerry Hairston Jr. again proved to be an invaluable fill-in with a double, single and two RBIs subbing for Rodriguez at third base.
The Yankees won for the 10th time in 11 games to increase their lead in the AL East over the Red Sox to a season high-tying 6½ games.
Their 11-day, 10-game trip has three more in Seattle and three games in Oakland before finishing with three at Boston.
Sabathia’s only blemish was a home run in the fifth by Josh Wilson, selected Thursday from Triple-A Tacoma because shortstop Jack Wilson is out a few days with a pulled hamstring.
The Mariners lost for the third time in seven games. They took their most lopsided defeat since an 11-0 pounding at Minnesota way back on May 8, yet stayed 5½ games behind Boston in the wild-card standings.
Ian Snell was left on the mound to absorb most of the beating. Seattle had used 11 relievers for 13 2-3 innings over the previous three days entering Thursday, including four relievers over the final seven innings of a 1-0, 14-inning win against Chicago the previous night.
Snell (0-1), making his third start since Seattle acquired him from Pittsburgh on July 29, allowed nine hits and eight runs in six-plus innings. Five days earlier, Snell walked six Tampa Bay Rays while lasting just 1 1-3 innings in his home Seattle debut.
One day after X-rays were negative of his badly bruised right foot, Jeter hit his 14th home run of the season deep beyond left-center field.
Matsui’s 18th home run three batters later, following the first of two doubles by Johnny Damon, that made it 5-0.
Matsui followed a single by Mark Teixeira with another two-run homer. This one barely eluded the reach of countryman Ichiro Suzuki. The eight-time Gold Glove outfielder leaped above the right-field wall, but a Mariners fan snagged the ball from Suzuki with his glove from home just before it reached the outfielder’s.
When no one in his row high-fived him for turning an out into a Yankees’ home run, the man threw the ball back onto the field, adding insult to an already embarrassing night for Seattle.
NOTES: The last time Sabathia had 10 or more strikeouts was Sept. 24 against Pittsburgh, while he revitalized Milwaukee into a playoff team. He struck out 10 or more eight times last season. … Yankees manager Joe Girardi said closer Mariano Rivera was available Thursday, one day after he sought treatment for pain in his pitching shoulder. Girardi said the 39-year-old Rivera had this pain one other time this season, and one day off cured it.
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