NEW YORK (AP) — Gleyber Torres hit his 100th career homer and reached base five times, Anthony Rizzo added a two-run shot and the New York Yankees routed the winless Philadelphia Phillies 8-1 on Monday night.
Defending NL champion Philadelphia is 0-4 for the first time since 2016. The only team to win a World Series after starting 0-4 was the 2021 Atlanta Braves.
Philadelphia has started 0-5 since 1934.
“You don’t want to start 0-4 that’s for sure but if we lost four in a row in July it wouldn’t be that big of a deal,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “But we don’t want to keep doing this.”
The Yankees have hit nine homers through their first four games and multiple homers in each of their first four games for the first time since 2011.
“I feel like they’re kind of feeding off each other right now,” New York manager Aaron Boone said. “Just the quality of at-bat, up and down (the lineup) and that was the case again tonight.”
Nestor Cortes (1-0) allowed one run and seven hits over five innings and made a key defensive play in his season debut. The All-Star’s spring training was disrupted by a strained right hamstring that prevented him from participating in the World Baseball Classic.
Cortes has allowed one run or fewer 16 times since the start of the last season.
With the Yankees ahead 3-1 in the fifth, J.T. Realmuto hit a single to right and Franchy Cordero’s throw to the plate sailed over catcher Jose Trevino. Cortes backed up the play, caught Cordero’s throw and relayed to third baseman DJ LeMahieu, who tagged Brandon Marsh on the back. Cortes yelled and slightly pumped a fist.
“I knew there was going to potentially be a play at the plate and with Realmuto rounding first I had to be back there just in case,” Cortes said. “Luckily I was.”
Cordero made his first start for the Yankees and hit a two-run double in a five-run fifth. Trevino added RBI single in the inning as New York sent 10 batters to the plate.
“I think it’s contagious for sure,” Rizzo said of the offense.
Taijuan Walker (0-1), making his Phillies debut after signing a $72 million, four-year contract, allowed four runs and four hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Edmundo Sosa hit an RBI single and Alec Bohm had three hits for the defending NL champions, who have been outscored 37-12.
New York took a 2-0 lead in the first.
LeMahieu led off with a triple to center that skipped past Marsh, who tried for a shoestring catch. Giancarlo Stanton hit an RBI grounder and Torres had an infield single.
“He thought he was going to be able to catch it in the air and then last second he kind of pulled up and tried to flip it and get it in his glove,” Thomson said. “It just took a weird hop.”
Torres, who walked three times, homered in the third. It was the fourth he walked three times and first time he reached five times.
“Just really focused quality at-bats by Gleyber and been right in the middle of a lot of things for us,” Boone said.
Rizzo reached the second deck in right with a fifth-inning drive that just stayed fair off Yunior Marte. After Marte walked Stanton and Torres, Cordero roped a double to right for a 7-1 lead and Trevino singled to center.
Coming off a shaky opening outing, Clay Holmes allowed one hit with two strikeouts in a scoreless ninth.
HICKS STARTS
Aaron Hicks went 0 for 3 with a walk in his first start in left field after getting one at-bat in the first three games. He heard a smattering of boos in pregame introductions and more boos when he struck out during the fifth.
Hicks also grounded out twice and drew a walk in his first Bronx appearance since suffering a knee injury in Game 5 of the AL Division Series against Cleveland.
YANKEES DEBUT
Ian Hamilton made his Yankees debut, allowing three hits in 1 2/3 scoreless innings in his first big league appearance since last June 4 for Minnesota,. The 27-year-old right-hander, then a Chicago White Sox prospect, was hit on the face by a foul ball while in the dugout for Triple-A Charlotte on June 4, 2019. and needed eight surgeries. He got nine swings and misses on his 12 combination slider/changeup.
“It was amazing,” Hamilton said.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Phillies: INF Josh Harrison (mild right ankle sprain) was a late scratch. He is day to day.
Yankees: CF Harrison Bader (strained left oblique) took 25 swings and ran sprints. … RHP Frankie Montas (right shoulder surgery recovery) was transferred to the 60-day IL, clearing a 40-man roster spot for Hamilton. After winning his big league debut on Sunday, RHP Jhony Brito was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Boone said Brito would likely get another start next week when a fifth starter is needed.
UP NEXT
New York RHP Domingo Germán opposes Philadelphia LHP Matt Strahm on Tuesday. ___
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