Yankees hit four more home runs, complete sweep of Mariners

SEATTLE — Aaron Boone cut the question short with a smile a few hours before first-pitch here on Monday.

“Hell no,” Boone said, asked if he had any concerns of a letdown against the quite bad Mariners after facing two likely playoff clubs, the A’s and Dodgers, to start a three-city trip. “One of the strengths of this team, from a makeup standpoint, is their ability to bring it every day.”

Boone was correct, and his team did exactly that over three days in the Emerald City.

Getting home runs from Gary Sanchez, Mike Ford, DJ LeMahieu and a rapidly-heating-up Aaron Judge and five strong innings from James Paxton, the Yankees completed a sweep of the Mariners with a 7-3 victory Wednesday afternoon in front of 32,013 at T-Mobile Park.

The victory allowed the Yankees (88-47), who outhit the Mariners, 11-3, to finish with a 5-4 record on this trip that started with them getting swept in Oakland.

“That’s what this team’s all about,” said Judge, who went 3-for-5 with a homer and two doubles to finish the trip 14-for-39 with six homers and three doubles. “You guys talk about the next-man-up mentality, it’s the same thing with a loss or anything. We just bounce back.”

The Yankees, with 18 homers in their last six games, further extended their MLB-record for most homers in a calendar month to 70. A massive Sanchez homer to left off Justus Sheffield, the catcher’s 30th of the season, in the first made it 2-0.

Sanchez had two hits, as did LeMahieu, who hit his 23rd home run in the ninth to make it 7-2. That gave LeMahieu his MLB-leading 54th multi-hit game of the season.

“They’re very resilient and they’re very hungry,” Boone said of the Yankees taking five of the last six games of the trip. “From a mindset standpoint, I’ve never had reason to be concerned with these guys and what they’re going to bring for the next day or next series.”

Paxton, a former Mariner facing Sheffield, the pitcher he was essentially traded for last November, turned in a second straight good outing, though he wasn’t as crisp as his last time out. That was Friday night at Dodger Stadium, when he allowed two runs and five hits in 6 2/3 innings against the powerful Dodgers. Wednesday Paxton allowed two runs and one hit, which was a two-run homer by Kyle Seager in the fourth inning that tied it at 2. Paxton, who struck out 11 and did not walk a batter vs. the Dodgers, walked five and struck out four Wednesday.

“I kind of lost the handle there, walking a few more than I wanted to, but I just battled,” said Paxton, who has won his last six decisions and is 11-6 with a 4.39 ERA overall. “I thought Gary did a nice job behind the plate mixing it up and the guys were making the plays behind me.”

The Mariners (56-77) had just one hit entering the ninth inning before collecting two more and a run against righthander Cory Gearrin, whom the Yankees claimed off waivers from Seattle last week. Sheffield, a former touted prospect in the Yankees’ organization who has had a rough season, allowed five runs and six hits in 4 1/3 innings in what was just his third big-league appearance this year (and second start).

Ford led off the fifth by hammering a 0-and-1 pitch to right, the rookie’s ninth homer of the season, and fifth this trip, making it 3-2. LeMahieu’s RBI single made it 4-2 and Judge greeted Sheffield’s replacement, righty Matt Wisler, with a two-run homer that was the rightfielder’s 18th to make it 6-2.

“For us to take care of business the way we did today [and this series] after a tough start to this trip,” Boone said, “it really says a lot about those guys out there.”