ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. _ Masahiro Tanaka was a master of efficiency on Sunday afternoon, zipping through seven innings against the Rays.
Tampa Bay starter Blake Snell struck out 12 batters in just 5 2/3 innings, but the Yankees came away with a 7-1 win before 25,025 fans at Tropicana Field.
By taking two of three games in the weekend series, the Yankees (24-16) moved to within a half-game of the AL East-leading Rays (24-15).
And the Yankees broke open a close game in the ninth, with all four runs scoring after a 43-minute delay.
A partial power outage caused the lights to go out in MLB's only remaining domed stadium.
Thairo Estrada was batting with an 0-and-1 count against Rays reliever Austin Pruitt when the dome went dark.
When play resumed, the Yankees rookie infielder sent Pruitt's 0-and-2 pitch into the right field seats for his second home run of the year.
Following an intentional walk to Luke Voit that loaded the bases with one out, Gio Urshela lashed a two-run double to right and Brett Gardner delivered a sacrifice fly.
Urshela had struck out in each of his first four at-bats on Sunday.
The Yankees broke through off Snell in the fifth on back-to-back two-out doubles by Austin Romine and Mike Tauchman (RBI) and an RBI single to right by DJ LeMahieu.
Voit raced home from third on a wild pitch in the eighth, surviving a Rays challenge and given the Yanks a 3-1 lead.
Zack Britton pitched out of his own jam to complete a scoreless eighth inning after Tanaka used just 73 pitches over his seven innings, earning his first win since April 20.
Tanaka (3-3) gave up one run _ a sixth-inning solo homer by Austin Meadows _ on five hits, with no walks and seven strikeouts.
Chad Green struck out the side in the ninth, his first appearance since April 23, when he was optioned to the minors to work on his command and mechanics.
