Masahiro Tanaka claimed his seventh win of the season and 170th victory of his career as the New York Yankees beat the Colorado Rockies 11-5 on Saturday.

Tanaka (7-5) pitched five scoreless innings at Yankee Stadium as the hosts built a nine-run lead without a single homer. The Japanese starter yielded five runs in the sixth before his exit, but the Yankees' bullpen held the club's lead for its fifth straight win.

"I was perfect through the fifth," Tanaka said. "There's really been a lot of that this season, everything falling apart in one inning."

The 30-year-old retired his first 15 of 17 batters, but lost command in the sixth when he gave up five hits, including a three-run shot to Nolan Arenado, while issuing a walk.

The right-hander left the mound with New York leading 9-5 thanks to a Yankees' lineup that recorded 14 hits over the night. Half of those came against Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela (8-7) before his early exit in the second.

Tanaka, who began his career in 2007 with Japan's Rakuten Eagles, said he was taken aback by the number of wins he has amassed over 13 seasons in Japan and the majors.

"When you hear the number 170, you get the impression of winning so much," he said.

Tanaka made his major league debut with the Yankees in 2014 following a perfect 24-0 season in Japan. He has a 4.00 ERA with 98 strikeouts across 117 innings in 20 starts this year.

Related coverage:

Baseball: Researcher finds earliest-recorded game involving Japanese

Baseball: Shohei Ohtani homers but Astros stun Angels with walk-off

Baseball: Former big leaguer Munenori Kawasaki charms fans in Taiwan