NEW YORK -- J.D. Martinez approached the plate in the eighth inning thinking about hitting a fourth home run.

The only problem was the Detroit Tigers right fielder did not get any pitches he liked.

Martinez did not have that issue earlier Sunday when he hit three home runs for the first time as the Tigers roughed up Masahiro Tanaka and snapped a four-game losing streak with a 12-4 rout of the New York Yankees.

"My last at-bat, I definitely got anxious. I just knew that I was feeling good," Martinez said. "I felt like I could probably cover a ball or two in or out and down a little bit."

Martinez became the first Tiger to hit three home runs and drive in six RBIs in a game, and the first Tiger to hit three home runs in a game since Carlos Pena on May 19, 2003, at Cleveland. He also was the first visiting player to hit three home runs at the current Yankee Stadium and the first visiting player to connect three times in New York since Geronimo Berroa on May 22, 1996, for Oakland.

"That's crazy," Detroit third baseman Andrew Romine said. "I don't think I've ever been on a team where someone has hit three in one game. It gets you excited. It gets everybody in the lineup excited at the bat rack to kind of get up there and be the next one to hit one out."

Martinez's barrage began during Detroit's four-run first when he drove a 0-1 fastball from Tanaka (4-3) to the loading dock over the left-center field wall. His second home run opened the fifth when he sent a first pitch curveball over the center field wall adjacent to Monument Park and that gave him his first career two-homer game.

"It was just one of those days where you take swings and you're actually hitting the ball how you want to hit it," said Martinez, whose only other three-homer game as a pro was April 19, 2014, for Triple-A Toledo against Columbus. "There's not too many of those days so you just got to take advantage of them."

Martinez recorded Detroit's 23rd game with three home runs when he hit a 1-1 fastball from rookie reliever Danny Burawa into the first row of the second deck in right field with one out in the sixth.

"J.D's got a ton of power," Detroit manager Brad Ausmus said. "All three of those balls weren't cheap. Outside of Miggy, he's got as much power as anyone I've ever seen."

Martinez also became the third Tiger to have three home runs against the Yankees. The others were Pat Mullin June 26, 1949, in New York and Charlie Maxwell May 3, 1959, in Detroit.

Besides Martinez's three home runs to three parts of the field, designated hitter Victor Martinez homered and drove in four runs. In his third game off the disabled list, he hit a two-run home run with two outs in the first for a 2-0 lead and added a two-run single in the second that made it 6-0.

Romine also homered for Detroit, which hit five home runs for the first time since Sept. 1, 2013, and scored its most runs in New York since a 15-4 win on Sept. 25, 2000.

The power display also helped the Tigers rebound from Saturday's 14-3 loss that prompted a brief postgame team meeting.

Detroit right-hander Anibal Sanchez (6-7) benefited from the support and allowed three runs and seven hits in seven innings. He allowed two runs in the second on a solo home run by catcher Brian McCann and a single by third baseman Brendan Ryan but stranded two in the third, got a double play in the fifth and retired 12 of the final 15 hitters.

The Yankees lost for the second time in their last 13 home games and spoke extensively about Tanaka's final line of seven runs (five earned) and 10 hits in five innings being caused by location issues

"I was missing spots and I was missing them by a far margin," Tanaka said through an interpreter. "So I really wasn't sharp today."

It was Tanaka's worst start and the prevailing opinion was that it was location and nothing physical.

"He just didn't have the control he's had in the last couple of starts and it hurt him," New York manager Joe Girardi said. "For whatever reason he didn't have it today."

NOTES: The Yankees made four roster moves before the game, recalling RHP Danny Burawa and OF Ramon Flores from Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre, optioning RHP Bryan Mitchell there and placing rooking OF Mason Williams on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder inflammation. ... The Yankees also said that RHP Sergio Santos would undergo Tommy John surgery at some point this week. After the game, the Yankees optioned Burawa and LHP Jose De Paula back to the minors. They said they intended to purchase the contracts of RHPs Diego Moreno and Nick Rumbelow and move Santos to the 60-day DL on Monday. ... Detroit IF Nick Castellanos was given his second straight day off from the starting lineup. Castellanos is batting .183 (9-for-49) this month .217 overall. ... Detroit RHP Anibal Sanchez made his major league debut nearly nine years ago, pitching 5 2/3 scoreless innings at Yankee Stadium for the Florida Marlins then managed by Joe Girardi.