NEW YORK -- Didi Gregorius may have enjoyed the Yankees' raw and rainy home opener more than anyone, homering twice and driving in a career-high eight runs to power his club to an 11-4 victory over the Rays on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.
Gregorius gave New York its first lead in the third inning, slugging a drive into the field-level seats in right field off starter Chris Archer. The Bombers shortstop reached the second deck in the seventh, cracking a long blast off reliever Austin Pruitt to pad a four-run advantage.
Gregorius' three-run home run The eight RBIs were the most by a Yankees player since Alex Rodriguez drove in 10 runs on April 26, 2005, against the Angels, and represented a franchise record for RBIs in a single game by a Yankees shortstop.