Stanton hits walk-off HR, Yankees rally past Mariners 7-5

NEW YORK (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton lined a two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, and the New York Yankees erased a five-run deficit to beat the Seattle Mariners 7-5 on Wednesday night.

Gary Sanchez tied the score with a two-run homer in the eighth, and the Yankees went on to complete their largest comeback victory of the season.

Didi Gregorius singled with two outs in the ninth and Stanton hammered an 0-2 breaking ball from reliever Ryan Cook (1-1). The slugger knew it was gone the moment he connected, and he took a little jump at the plate and pumped his arm before tossing his bat aside.

The drive soared a projected 453 feet for Stanton’s first walk-off homer with the Yankees — his previous one came on April 18, 2014, for the Marlins (also vs. Seattle). He was mobbed by teammates and doused as he crossed the plate, throwing his helmet into the air and smiling from ear to ear.

New York is a season-high 27 games above .500 with the majors’ best record at 49-22. The Yankees have won nine of 11 against Seattle (46-28) and will try for a three-game series sweep Thursday afternoon.

The Mariners have lost three straight for the first time since April 17-19 against the World Series champion Astros.