Torres joins Mantle with 10th HR, sparks win

DETROIT -- Gleyber Torres gave the Tigers something to think about when he put himself in exclusive company with Mickey Mantle by blasting his 10th home run on Monday afternoon. Coupled with a glimmering start by Luis Severino, the Yankees took Game 1 of the day-night doubleheader at Comerica Park for a 7-4 win.
"We put our ace out there first with the idea that we're hoping to get some length out of him, and he gives us eight innings," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "He just continues to be the anchor of our rotation. In a spot where we need some length, he just goes out there and fills up the strike zone. Just another impressive day for him."
New York fell behind, 1-0, in the first inning, but Torres' homer evened the score in the third. With the one-out blast, Torres became the first Yankee to hit 10 or more home runs before his 22nd birthday since Mantle did it in 1953.
Torres' shot sparked a big offensive day for New York, as the Yankees sent 11 men to the plate in a fiery six-run fourth inning that included two home runs. The outburst helped secure an easy afternoon for Severino, whose eight innings helped wrap up the Yanks' fifth consecutive win.

Severino, however, was on point against the Tigers, holding them to two runs and only four hits with 10 strikeouts. The torrent of run support gave him the freedom to be aggressive on the mound and force Detroit's offense to challenge him. Severino improved to 9-1 and lowered his ERA to 2.20.
"[Severino is] a bulldog out there on the mound," catcher Austin Romine said. "He's confident in his stuff right now. Even on days where maybe it's not all there, he can still get by and pitch really well. I think that's a sign of what an ace is."

The Yankees' win didn't come without some nervous moments in the ninth, however. The Tigers notched two runs on doubles from Niko Goodrum and José Iglesias off Jonathan Holder before pinch-hitter Victor Martinez succumbed to closer Aroldis Chapman on strikes.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
The Yankees' patience paid off against Tigers starter Drew VerHagen ambushing him with six consecutive hits to open the fourth inning. Among them were two home runs, the first a leadoff shot by Greg Bird that soared across the right-center-field wall, and the second by Romine on a three-run monster. VerHagen was eventually chased from the game after he walked Aaron Judge with two outs.

HE SAID IT
"I like wins. I know it's not the soup of the day, but I like wins." -- pitching coach Larry Rothschild, regarding Severino's 9-1 record

SOUND SMART
All 10 of Torres' homers have come from the ninth spot in the lineup, giving him the second-highest home run total for a Yankees' No. 9 hitter for a single season. Alfonso Soriano is first, with 11 in 2001.
UP NEXT
Rookie right-hander Domingo Germán will start Monday's nightcap after showing some encouraging signs in his last outing, though it resulted in a 5-1 loss to the Astros. Since firing six hitless innings in his first start on May 6, German is 0-2 with a 9.42 ERA in 14 1/3 innings over three starts. He'll face Tigers right-hander Mike Fiers in the nightcap of a doubleheader at 7:10 p.m. ET.