Major League Baseball

Guzman 1st rookie to hit 3 HRs in game vs Yanks, Texas wins

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 10:29 p.m. ET

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NEW YORK (AP) — Manuel Guzman had never seen his son play major league ball in person because he's never been fan of planes.

He might want to rethink it going forward.

Ronald Guzman became the first rookie to hit three home runs in a game against the Yankees, powering the Texas Rangers past New York 12-7 on Friday night.

"In BP I was going at it. I (told him) don't worry for today, if it's a pitch over the plate, I am going to try to hammer it," Guzman said.

Eight days after Boston's Steve Pearce connected three times off the Yankees, the 23-year-old first baseman from the Dominican Republic duplicated the feat.

Guzman grounded out his first time up, then hit solo home runs in three straight at-bats. He batted again in the eighth with a chance to tie the big league record for homers in a game — no rookie has ever hit four — but struck out swinging against Chad Green.

Guzman had a total of 10 guests in the stands, including his mother, sister, two brothers and his Little League coach.

"That might be one of the coolest things ever, for a major league player (to have) his dad see him play for the first time," Texas manager Jeff Banister said. "A number of people that really had an opportunity to impact his life."

"A night he was able to give back to them, give them some excitement, something they'll all share together tonight and from now on. It will be one of those nights he will never forget," he said.

Guzman's two homers off Masahiro Tanaka and one off A.J. Cole made him the first Texas player to hit three home runs in a game since teammate Adrian Beltre in 2012. Guzman became the first Rangers rookie to accomplish the feat.

For someone who idolized Manny Ramirez and rooted against the Yankees as a kid, it meant a bit more.

"I never liked the Yankees growing up. I mean it's just the fact that every Dominican Yankees fan is so loud that they talk so much," Guzman said.

"Now I know they hate me right now, but I am happy about it," he said.

Guzman is the youngest player to hit three homers in a game in the Bronx since Mickey Mantle, who was a younger 23, did it in 1955 against Detroit.

Overall, Guzman has 12 home runs this season, six against the Yankees.

Beltre also joined in the fun with his seventh homer of the season, tying recent Hall of Fame inductee Chipper Jones for the 33rd spot on baseball's all-time list with 469.

Mike Minor (9-6) won his third straight start, allowing six hits and four runs in 5 2/3 innings. The lefty had not won three consecutive starts since September 2014 while pitching for the Atlanta Braves. He missed the 2015 and 2016 seasons because of a torn labrum.

Tanaka (9-3) had been 7-0 in his previous 14 starts, but again couldn't figure out the Rangers. He entered the night with having gone 1-2 with a 6.52 ERA in his first five starts against Texas.

Tanaka had not been charged with a loss since his second start of the season, April 5 against Baltimore.

"I thought about it after I came off the mound and I'm not here to explain everything," he said through a translator. "But I have an idea of what's wrong so I'll make an adjustment my next start."

Guzman pulled homers to right field in the fourth, pointing to his family after reaching home plate, and in the sixth that made it 6-1 and chased Tanaka. Guzman went the opposite way for a drive to left in the seventh off Cole.

Guzman was the first visiting player with three homers at Yankee Stadium since Lorenzo Cain in 2016 with Kansas City.

Austin Romine, who drove in three runs, and Brett Gardner homered for the Yankees. Luke Voit added a two-run single.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Rangers: OF Delino DeShields should return for Sunday's series finale. DeShields, who banged his head trying to make a catch on July 11 at Boston, was placed last Saturday on the 7-day concussion disabled list after experiencing headaches. "Everything is good. They said it could have been triggered by different things," he said. "But they don't think it was related to a concussion."

Yankees: C Gary Sanchez (groin) has been on the disabled list since July 24. "I would say Monday will really ramp up as far as the hitting, start to do catching things," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "And then the normal conditioning as well. But he's progressing well, feeling good." ... Boone is confident OF Aaron Judge (broken right wrist) can swing a bat next week. He's been on the disabled list since July 27. "Still just better and better every day. The range of motion is all there, just still barely feeling it and that was even today, barely feeling it at the end range and we just want to get that pain completely out of there," Boone said. "Optimistic that in the next couple of days that potentially could happen and we get a bat in his hand and hopefully it starts to progress really quickly from there."

UP NEXT

Rangers: RHP Drew Hutchinson (1-2, 6.29 ERA) starts Saturday.

Yankees: RHP Lance Lynn (8-8, 4.58) makes his first start in pinstripes at Yankee Stadium. Acquired from the Twins on July 30, Lynn gave up just two hits over 7 1/3 innings in his first start with New York on Monday vs. the White Sox.

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