Masahiro Tanaka pitched eight scoreless innings as the New York Yankees defeated the host Seattle Mariners 4-0 Friday night in the opener of a three-game series.

Rookie Gleyber Torres and Andrew McCutchen each hit two-run homers for the Yankees. New York has hit 230 home runs this season and is on pace to tie the major league record of 264 set by the 1997 Mariners, who featured Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez in their lineup.

Tanaka (11-5) allowed three hits, didn't walk a batter and struck out a season-high 10 to win his second September start after going 0-3 in August. The right-hander improved to 7-0 in eight career starts against the Mariners.

Right-hander David Robertson pitched the ninth for New York.

The only hit Tanaka allowed through the first five innings was a two-out single in the first by former Yankee Robinson Cano.

Mike Zunino led off the Mariners' sixth with a double to left field. After the next two batters struck out, Jean Segura reached on an infield single on a comebacker that deflected off Tanaka's glove, with Zunino advancing to third. But Tanaka struck out Cano to end the lone Seattle threat.

The Yankees took the lead in the second against left-hander James Paxton (11-6). With two outs, Luke Voit lined a single to left field, and Torres followed with a two-run shot to left-center, his 23rd homer of the season. It was Torres' 100th career hit, making him the youngest Yankee (21 years, 268 days) to reach the mark since 20-year-old Mickey Mantle in 1952.

New York doubled the lead to 4-0 in the third. Brett Gardner led off the inning with a line-drive single to left field, and McCutchen then homered to left-center, his 16th of the season and his first for the Yankees since being acquired Aug. 31 in a trade with San Francisco.

Paxton went six innings and allowed four runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out eight.

Voit had two of the Yankees' six hits.

--Field Level Media