Hicks hits 3 HRs vs. Sox on Yanks' record night

NEW YORK -- Aaron Hicks tracked the flight of his third home run as it soared toward the second deck of the right-field seats, almost dropping his bat in disbelief. Playing in front of a national audience, the Yankees' switch-hitter capped an unforgettable evening by joining some select company.
Hicks joined Lou Gehrig (1927) and Mark Teixeira (2010) as the only Yankees to enjoy a three-homer game against the Red Sox, going deep from both sides of the plate as New York battered David Price and mashed a season-high six home runs in their 11-1 rout of Boston on Sunday evening at Yankee Stadium.

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"It feels awesome to be able to be lucky enough to hit three home runs," Hicks said. "I blacked out after the third one. I kind of didn't know what to do. It's exciting. I was really excited after it went out."
Muscling to the official halfway point of their season, the Bombers made loud contact early and often against Price, reclaiming a tie for first place in the American League East. Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres and Kyle Higashioka also went deep in the victory, which gave the Yanks (54-27, .667) an edge on the Sox (56-29, .659) for the best record in the Majors.

"That's probably as good a night as we've had all year," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "Just all night, a lot of different guys, on a lot of different pitches. I thought our game plan going in was really good. Those guys went out and really executed in a big series. That's a peek at what we can do when we are really clicking."
Luis Severino fired 6 2/3 scoreless innings of two-hit ball to pick up his Major League-leading 13th victory, lowering his AL-leading ERA to 1.98. It was the fourth straight winning effort for the ace, who doffed his cap as he left the mound, relishing the opportunity to pitch under the brightest of regular-season lights.
"Every pitcher wants to be on Sunday Night Baseball, Yankees-Red Sox," Severino said. "That was amazing. Just being there, facing the Red Sox, one of the best teams in baseball and seeing the guys hit a lot of homers. … It means a lot. When I was younger, I used to watch Yankees-Red Sox, the fans, everything. To be a part of that, it's amazing."

For his exit, Price received a derisive ovation from the sold-out crowd of 46,795, tagged with eight runs and nine hits over 3 1/3 innings. Since joining the Red Sox for the 2016 season, Price is 0-5 with a 10.44 ERA in five starts at Yankee Stadium. He had been 8-2 with a 3.27 ERA in 15 prior starts at the facility.
"Obviously, tonight we hit him well, but we also understand that's a really good pitcher over there," Boone said. "He's capable, when he's on top of his game, of shutting down anyone -- including us. I don't get caught up in that. I look at it as one of those nights where our game plan was on point, we got some pitches to handle and when we did, we put them in the seats."
The Yankees supported their ace by establishing a new club mark with 137 homers prior to the All-Star break, shattering a previous record of 134 set in 2002 and tied in '12.
Judge opened the scoring with a solo first-inning blast to Monument Park, his team-leading 22nd, before Torres belted a three-run shot and became the first AL rookie age 21 or younger to collect 15 homers through his first 60 games. Higashioka homered for his first big league hit in the fourth, snapping an 0-for-22 skid to open his career.
"My biggest concern tonight was making sure we get a win," Higashioka said. "Obviously I couldn't be happier that the hit came in a win over the Red Sox and it was a home run. The most important thing is that we're winning ballgames."
• Higashioka's 1st hit is a Yanks-record-setting HR

Hicks mashed a two-run shot to right field in the second inning, chased Price with a fourth-inning blast to center field, then went deep left-handed off Hector Velázquez in the eighth. Hicks said that he has improved his contact point, which he believes is permitting him to better take advantage of Yankee Stadium's dimensions.
"I feel like I'm able to be patient at the box," Hicks said. "When I get down 0-2, I don't feel rushed. I'm confident in my ability to put the ball in play and do it hard."
SOUND SMART
Hicks is the first Yankees leadoff hitter ever to hit three homers in a game, and just the 27th such player all-time. He is also the first Yankee to hit three homers since Alex Rodriguez did it on July 25, 2015, against the Twins in Minnesota. Coincidentally, A-Rod happened to be in the building on Sunday, broadcasting the game for ESPN.

YOU GOTTA SEE THIS
With his first-inning blast off Price, Torres became the sixth player in history -- and the first Yankee -- to hit at least 15 homers in his first 60 career games before turning 22. The rookie standout joined Cody Bellinger (24), Adam Dunn (17), Willie Mays (17), Albert Pujols (17) and Frank Robinson (16).
"I just tried to help my team," Torres said. "I saw the opportunity. I know I've got guys behind me; Miggy [Andujar] does a pretty good job. I just tried to do my job, put the ball in play. He threw me the pitch, I just tried to make good contact."

HE SAID IT
"Anytime you can have your name mentioned with Lou Gehrig, that's pretty cool." -- Hicks
UP NEXT
Rookie right-hander Jonathan Loáisiga (2-0, 1.93 ERA) will make his fourth Major League start on Monday as the Yankees open a three-game Interleague series with the Braves at 7:05 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium. Loaisiga is coming off a winning effort at Philadelphia in his last start, during which he carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning. Atlanta will counter with right-hander Aníbal Sánchez (3-2, 2.68 ERA).