Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: The Yankees lost a starting pitcher to injury suffered while running the bases during interleague play. Right-hander Masahiro Tanaka departed Friday night’s game after five innings with what appears to be a baserunning-related injury. According to reports, he experienced stiffness in both hamstrings. The incident occurred in the top of the sixth inning. Tanaka reached first safely on an error by Mets first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. Following a Gleyber Torres single and Brett Gardner walk, the right-hander found himself on third base with just one out. He conferred with third base coach Phil Nevin about potential strategies and immediately put one into action as Aaron Judge lifted a sacrifice fly. Tanaka tagged up on the fly ball and then broke for home. He ran well down the line, but right before reaching the plate it appeared he couldn’t decided whether to come in standing up or sliding. He ultimately scored standing, but it was awkward looking. He went right into the clubhouse afterwards; Jonathan Holder took his place on the mound. Tanaka, 29, has had a strange season this year. He’s pitched to an unsightly 4.79 ERA (5.05 FIP), but at times flashed signs of brilliance. Tonight proved no different, as he allowed a leadoff home run to Brandon Nimmo, but then settled in nicely. Now there will undoubtedly be comparisons to Chien-Ming Wang, who suffered a career-altering injury while running the bases in Houston. More apt, however, is Tanaka himself. He suffered a pulled hamstring while baserunning against the Mets three years ago. He literally got hurt running in the same darn park. In the wake of Jordan Montgomery’s Tommy John surgery, the Yankees are razor thin on pitching depth. They cannot afford a significant injury to Tanaka. Hold your breath, because otherwise Brian Cashman will have to trade for a pitcher as soon as possible.<doc-sep>And now, Tanaka was pulled from the opening game of this year’s Subway Series against the Mets after reaching on an error and scoring the tying run on a sacrifice fly by Aaron Judge in the fifth inning of Friday’s 4-1 victory for the Yankees in Queens. The Yanks later announced that the $155 million righty left the game with stiffness in BOTH hamstrings, adding he will be reevaluated on Saturday.<doc-sep>The Yankees could be without Masahiro Tanaka, their No. 2 starting pitcher, for weeks, Manager Aaron Boone said on Saturday after the team put him on the 10-day disabled list. Tanaka injured himself while tagging up and scoring on a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning of Friday’s interleague game between the Mets and the Yankees. The team called it a “mild strain” of both hamstrings. Tanaka could be gone for weeks but may be back sooner, Boone said. “You’ve just got to see it progress and shut down for a few days,” Boone said. “I’m optimistic that it’s not too serious.” But when Tanaka was asked if he expected to return before the All-Star break in mid-July, he refused to rule out a longer absence.<doc-sep>The Yankees’ starting rotation took another hit Saturday when Masahiro Tanaka was placed on the 10-day DL with mild strains of both hamstrings, suffered in Friday’s win over the Mets when he scored from third base on Aaron Judge’s sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth. Manager Aaron Boone said Tanaka would be out “weeks,” but believed it was “very possible” he’d be back before the All-Star break. General manager Brian Cashman added it could be a month. Ronald Torreyes was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to take Tanaka’s spot on the roster, since they don’t need a starting pitcher until Thursday or Friday. Boone said the team was still considering its options. The news came just days after Jordan Montgomery underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery. Until Tanaka returns to the mound, the Yankees will have to test their pitching depth even more. “It’s certainly unfortunate, but it creates an opportunity for others,’’ Cashman said. “We’re forced to find some things out in other areas with some other personnel. That’s always healthy, too.” They’ve already replaced Montgomery with Domingo German, who started Saturday. Other options could be Jonathan Loaisiga, a 23-year-old right-hander who has impressed with Double-A Trenton. Cashman also mentioned Luis Cessa, who has been out with an oblique strain and could make a rehab start with Class-A Tampa this week. And with two starters out already, Cashman said he’d monitor the trade market. “We’re always open to outside help, no matter what time of year it happens to be,’’ Cashman said. “But we also have internal options we can rely on. … It’s always important to have depth, no doubt about that.’’ Tanaka declined to blame the fact that, as an AL pitcher, he isn’t accustomed to hitting or running the bases. “It’s not something I normally do,’’ Tanaka said through an interpreter. “But during interleague games, getting in the batter’s box and running is part of baseball. I’ve been doing this since I was a little kid. It’s on me that I got hurt. It’s not about the rules.” He reported no significant change in the hamstrings on Saturday and said he’d get treatment for at least the next week. Cashman admitted he doesn’t remember a player having suffered two hamstrings on the same play. “I was surprised, to be honest,’’ Cashman said. “It’s just an unfortunate circumstance.’’ The DL news wasn’t surprising, since Tanaka admitted to being “pretty tight” following Friday’s game — after which Boone declined to second-guess the decision to send Tanaka by third base coach Phil Nevin, who tested Jay Bruce’s arm on the relatively shallow fly ball to right by Judge with the Yankees trailing by a run. “You take who the person is into account,’’ Boone said of the send on Friday. “I don’t think you can play it in the top of sixth inning to not get hurt.” The return of Torreyes gives the Yankees another utility player. He was sent down after Greg Bird returned from his rehab from ankle surgery, when the Yankees opted to keep Tyler Austin and a 13th pitcher instead of Torreyes. Torreyes had been extremely productive in 22 games for the Yankees before he was optioned to SWB to make room for Bird, but was just 7-for-36 in nine games with SWB. Still, Torreyes provides some needed versatility on the Yankees’ roster.<doc-sep>
Masahiro Tanaka left Friday’s game against the Mets after the top of the sixth inning with an apparent injury. Tanaka reached on a one-out error in the Yankees’ half of the sixth and came around to score on Aaron Judge’s sacrifice fly that tied the game at 1-1. But Tanaka took an awkward step as he ran toward home and then adjusted his stride to avoid the tag at the plate by Devin Mesoraco. He walked back to the dugout and immediately went into the clubhouse. Tanaka was replaced on the mound in the bottom of the inning by Jonathan Holder. He suffered stiffness in both hamstrings and will be evaluated Saturday. It had been a good night for Tanaka, who recovered from allowing a leadoff homer to Brandon Nimmo on his second pitch of the game to retire the next 12 batters in a row before a leadoff walk to Jay Bruce in the fifth. Tanaka ended up allowing just one run on one hit, throwing 75 pitches and striking out eight. In his first at-bat against Jacob deGrom, Tanaka belted a fly ball to center. In the sixth, he hit what should have been a routine grounder to Adrian Gonzalez, but the ball popped out of the first baseman’s glove as he ranged toward second, allowing Tanaka to reach. He moved to second on Gleyber Torres’ single to center before Brett Gardner walked. Judge followed with a fly ball to right that was just deep enough to score Tanaka — but that may have come at a steep price for the Yankees and the right-hander.