Apr 26, 2018 4 min read

Gary Sanchez had a moment he will remember.

Sanchez hit a three-run homer off Fernando Rodney in the ninth inning, and the New York Yankees rallied to beat the Minnesota Twins 4-3 to complete a four-game sweep and extend their winning streak to six.

“It’s definitely a very exciting moment,” Sanchez said through a translator. “The other special moment for me was when we made it to the playoffs last year, so this one is definitely up there.”

New York was held hitless through five innings and trailed 3-0 before Aaron Hicks’ sacrifice fly in the seventh. Didi Gregorius grounded to third leading off the ninth and reached second when Miguel Sano’s throw went wide for an error.

“I just couldn’t complete the play,” Sano said through a translator.

Giancarlo Stanton followed with a slow roller gloved by a charging Sano, who did not make a throw as Stanton crossed first with an infield hit.

“That’s just a swinging bunt,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. “It’s one of those plays where he split (Ehire) Adrianza and Sano there. Either one didn’t have much of a chance.”

Sanchez took a strike, then sent a fastball from Rodney (1-2) down the left-field line and into the lower deck. The Yankees bounded out of the dugout to mob Sanchez as he crossed the plate and doused him with Gatorade.

“If we can get traffic on the bases, we’re always one swing away with our guys,” rookie manager Aaron Boone said.

New York finished an 8-2 homestand and has outscored opponents 47-13 during its winning streak.

“We’ve got a lot of fight in here, a lot of bulldogs,” Yankees starter Jordan Montgomery said.

Minnesota completed an 0-7 trip, its first winless road swing of at least seven games since Aug. 10-16, 2001. The Twins have lost eight straight to New York, including last year’s AL wild-card game, and 13 of their last 14 at Yankee Stadium, counting the postseason.

“I think this is going to build up the character of this team,” Minnesota general manager Thad Levine said.

Dellin Betances (1-1) struck out the side on 13 pitches in the ninth for his first win since June 27. The big right-hander struggled to keep from flying open on his delivery during the second half last season and early this year, causing control problems.

St. Louis 4, N.Y. Mets 3: Dexter Fowler’s 13th-inning single capped a comeback from a pair of deficits and gave the St. Louis Cardinals a 4-3 victory over the New York Mets. St. Louis trailed 2-0 in the seventh and 3-2 in the 10th.

Tommy Pham had four hits and scored twice, a day after leaving a game after cutting his head with his bat while warning up in an indoor batting game. He played with a large bandage on his head. St. Louis won its second straight against the Mets after losing the series opener in 10 innings.

Atlanta 7, Cincinnati 4: Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies, the two youngest players in the major leagues, both homered and combined for five RBIs to lead Atlanta over the Cincinnati Reds 7-4 and give the Braves a split of the four-game series.

The 20-year-old Acuna led off the second inning with a home run, singled in the sixth and hit a tiebreaking double in the eighth following Freddie Freeman’s third double of the game. The 21-year-old Albies hit a two-run homer in the fifth and an RBI double in the ninth.

Arizona 8, Philadelphia 2: Jarrod Dyson, Nick Ahmed and David Peralta homered and the Arizona Diamondbacks earned an 8-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Diamondbacks improved to 17-7, matching the best 24-game start in franchise history. Arizona also went 17-7 in 2008.