Mariners' Rule 5 castoff paces Yanks in Seattle

SEATTLE -- Mike Ford briefly believed that his first big league opportunity would come in the Pacific Northwest, and he was crestfallen when last year’s spring audition with the Mariners did not pan out. That made Monday's performance even sweeter for the big-swinging first baseman.

Ford went deep in his first two at-bats as the rookie enjoyed his first career multihomer game, continuing a sizzling stretch as he and Gleyber Torres extended the club’s big league record for home runs in a calendar month to power a 5-4 victory over the Mariners at T-Mobile Park.

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"No hard feelings, but it's definitely nice to stick it to them a little bit," Ford said. "It took me a period of time to get over it a little bit, but after that I was like, 'OK, now what's the next step?' I used that as a little boost."

The intriguing power that Ford displayed during his first five seasons as a Yankees Minor Leaguer prompted the Mariners to grab him as a Rule 5 Draft pick prior to the 2018 campaign. Ford had a solid spring, but the Mariners handed first base to Daniel Vogelbach and returned Ford to the Yankees in late March, recouping half of their $50,000 selection fee.

Since Ford said he decided to transform that rejection into motivation, perhaps the 27-year-old should be thanking the Mariners for helping him take advantage of this unexpected opportunity. Facing Tommy Milone, Ford mashed a two-run homer as part of a four-run second inning, then added a solo shot in the fourth.

"If opportunity knocks for him, I am confident he can go in there and give us these kinds of at-bats," manager Aaron Boone said. "The power is real. He has been having a great year down in Triple-A and is taking advantage of an opportunity. It's really been nice to see, especially this road trip."

All season, the Yankees have subscribed to a "next man up" mindset, and Ford's contributions have helped the club absorb recent injuries to first basemen Edwin Encarnacion and Luke Voit. Having homered in back-to-back games, Ford is batting .353 (12-for-34) with eight runs, a double, five homers across his last 12 contests.

"I think the big thing is regular at-bats," Ford said. "It allows you to get locked in and stay locked in a little bit. This league is really hard, but I've always been confident in my ability to hit. That's what has gotten me to this point. I can't lose that edge."

Record store

Having secured the all-time mark for homers in a calendar month over the weekend in Los Angeles, the Yankees continued to plug away, adding Torres' 33rd blast to Ford's pair. That gives the Yankees 64 homers in August, and the club still has four games remaining before the calendar flips to September.

"It's just fun," Ford said. "At any given moment, anyone can leave the field at any time. It's awesome to be part of."

The Yankees hit three homers for the 35th time this season, which is second in the Majors only to the Twins (39). The Yanks are only the third team in history to have 35 three-homer games within their first 133 contests, joining this year's Twins and the 1997 Mariners.

A step forward

The 32 home runs that J.A. Happ has surrendered represent a career-high, ranking third in the Majors behind only the D-backs' Mike Leake (34) and the Astros' Justin Verlander (33). Yet the left-hander said that he would look past the three-run homer that Dylan Moore cracked in the second inning.

"It was really one swing, and I feel like I could have been out of there," Happ said. "There's nobody more frustrated than me, but in order to stay sane I've got to take the positives here. I think overall it was a good outing."

Other than Moore's homer, which came on a changeup that cut back over the plate, Happ permitted only an infield single through five innings to pick up his 11th victory. Happ walked three and struck out seven before Mallex Smith hit a seventh-inning homer off Nestor Cortes Jr., making it a one-run game.

"I was just trying to trust my fastball. I felt like it had some life tonight," Happ said. "I was just trying to stay aggressive. We're trying to get ahead and it's working. I've definitely got to take the positives of getting through there with two hits."

Rules check

The Yankees' Cory Gearrin received an unexpected mound visit from home-plate umpire Manny Gonzalez in the sixth inning, informing the reliever that the toe tap he uses is illegal. Gearrin protested, saying that he was cleared by Major League Baseball to use that motion earlier this season.

"I was told that it is legal," Gearrin said. "Really, I just have to get some sort of understanding. I'm sure we're going to reach out to the league and try to get clarification."

Gearrin, who based his motion on a more aggressive one used by Carter Capps, said he used the toe tap throughout 2018 without issue. It prompted a 15-minute delay during a May game between his Mariners and the Athletics, as the umpires utilized their replay headsets to check the rule book.

That crew reviewed Rule 5.07(a), which states, "The pitcher may not take a second step toward home plate with either foot or otherwise reset his pivot foot in his delivery of the pitch. If there is a runner, or runners, on base it is a balk under Rule 6.02(a); if the bases are unoccupied it is an illegal pitch under Rule 6.02(b).”

When play resumed, Gearrin indeed was called for a balk, then he issued a walk to Kyle Seager before striking out Tom Murphy.

"I was considering taking him out mid-hitter, just because you are asking a big league athlete to all of a sudden do something different out there," Boone said. "I was a little concerned about it, but I thought he handled himself really well."

Gearrin said that it seemed to be "convenient timing" for the scrutiny to happen as he appeared against the club for which he was pitching last week, but Mariners manager Scott Servais said that his bench did not say anything to the umpires about Gearrin.

"I don’t know," Gearrin said. "I'm a Yankee. I'm excited to be a Yankee. It was a great Yankee win."