ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Masahiro Tanaka pitched a three-hitter, Austin Romine drove in two runs as the replacement for again-injured catcher Gary Sanchez and the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-0 on Tuesday night.
Tanaka (8-2) retired his first 12 batters before C.J. Cron singled leading off the fifth. He struck out nine and walked one, improving to 6-0 on the road.
It was the sixth major league complete game and third shutout for Tanaka, his first complete game since a three-hit shutout at Boston on April 27 last year.
Tanaka walked Ji-Man Choi after Cron’s fifth-inning hit but escaped damage by striking out Daniel Robertson and getting speedy Mallex Smith to hit into a 3-6-1 double play.