Final: Red Sox 5, Yankees 4 - Bullpen barely survives in Game 1 victory

Well, that wasn’t easy.

After being staked to a 5-0 lead in the third inning thanks, in good measure to a three-run homer by J.D. Martinez in the first, the Red Sox barely pieced it together with their beleaguered bullpen to escape with a 5-4 victory over the Yankees to take a 1-0 lead in their AL Division Series.

Chris Sale showed better velocity in getting his first-ever postseason victory as he went 5.1 innings. He cruised with eight strikeouts until the sixth inning when he allowed two singles and was lifted.

That started a parade of relievers, and all of them were an adventure except Rick Porcello — yes, the Game 3 starter — and Craig Kimbrel. Both combined to get the final six outs to secure the victory.

Kimbrel allowed a lead-off homer to Aaron Judge in the ninth, but then struck out the final three batters to finish off the game.

In addition to Martinez, Andrew Benintendi had two hits and two runs scored for the Sox’ offense.

More coverage to come.

LIVE GAME COVERAGE FROM BEDARD

Live Box: MLB Gameday


Top of the ninth

• Here we go.


• Home run by Judge to RF. 1-1 pitch. RUN: Red Sox 5, Yankees 4.


• Gardner strikes out.


• Stanton looks terrible striking out looking on three pitches.


• Voit strikes out. Game over.

• Nunez, whose swing is in about eight pieces right now, strikes out.


• Kinsler strikes out for the third time.


• Leon pops out and we go to the ninth. Hold on to your butts.

• Porcello gets ahead 0-2, and gets a weak ground ball by Andujar.


• Sanchez lines out to third.


• Swinging bunt by Torres will bring on Kimbrel. But well-done by Porcello. Sounds like the crowd was in favor of Cora leaving Porcello in. Can't say I disagree.


• After falling behind, Kimbrel gets McCutcheon to pop out to right.


• Aaron Judge, Brett Gardner and Giancarlo Stanton are waiting in the ninth.

• Benintendi grounds out.


• Pearce strikes out.


• Single to right by Martinez.


• Bogaerts grounds back to the pitcher to end it. Britton threw a missle to first base and it nearly got away.

• Back-to-back singles to lead off the inning and Matt Barnes will enter.


• Second pitch is a wild pitch to move the runners up. Good lord.


• Breaking: Rick Porcello is warming up. That's not a typo.


• Walk to Gardner to load the bases with no outs and Stanton up.


• Stanton whiffs. Joe Kelly is now also warming. That's all this game needs.


• Barnes gets the ground ball he wanted, but a good takeout slide by Gardner keeps the double play from happening. RUN: Red Sox 5, Yankees 3.


• Gregorius bounces out to end the inning. Damage limited.

• Kinsler strikes out on three pitches.


• Leon out, 3-1.


• Bradley walks ... Betts takes strike three.

• Chris Sale fastballs: 91.4, 94.2, 95, 94.9, 95.2, 95.6


• Judge singles to lead off the inning. Sale's pitches are definitely losing steam.


• Fielder's choice eliminates Judge.


• Stanton singles sharply to left field. That's it for Sale. He leaves to a warm ovation. Brasier in. Two on, one out.


• Brasier lines a single down the right-field line. RUN: Red Sox 5, Yankees 1.


• After a full count with some nice stops by Leon, Gregorius grounds into an RBI fielder's choice. RUN: Red Sox 5, Yankees 2.


• Wild pitch from Brasier moves up Gregorius into scoring position.


• Walk to Andujar will bring up Sanchez as the tying run. Brasier's done. Brandon Workman will enter.


• Man, this is the first inning of the Sox bullpen and I'm already worn out.


• Workman starts by throwing three balls


• Four-pitch walk to load the bases.

• After going to 3-1, Workman comes back to strikeout Torres with the runners in motion. Fenway exhales.

• Pearce grounds out to third.


• Martinez pops out to first.


• Infield single for Bogaerts with two outs.


• Nunez out on a groundout off the pitcher's glove.

• Chris Sale fastballs: 89.9,


• Sanchez bounces out to second.


• Comebacker to Sale for the second out.


• Pop out to right ends it quickly.


• Sale pitches: Inning 9/6. Game 83/55.

• Kinsler singles and Leon advances him with a sac bunt.


• Bradley pops out to short.


• Intentional walk to Betts. First and second two outs.


• Benintendi grounds out to end it.

• Chris Sale fastballs: 90, 92, 92.5, 94.3, 94, 95.4, 95.7, 94.2, 94.3.


• 11-pitch at-bat by Hicks ends with a single to right. Sale's velocity has dropped a little.


• Hicks is checked on after reaching. He will be removed for Brett Gardner.


• Stanton strikes out on three pitches.


• Voit strikes out looking on a backdoor slider. That's seven Ks.


• Gregorius, who just missed a double down the left-field line in the second, just misses a HR to right. He reaches on an infield single up the middle. Two on, two out.


• Andujar becomes Sale's eighth strikeout victim as he again strikes out the side. But a lot of pitches that inning,


• Sale pitches: Inning 25/19. Game 74/49.

• Betts doubles to center.


• Benintendi drags a bunt to the right side and there is no play. First and third, nobody out. That's it for Happ. Chad Green is entering the game.


• Pearce greets Green with an RBI single on the first pitch. RUN: Red Sox 4, Yankees 0.


• Deep fly out to right by Martinez. Benintendi moves up to third.


• Bogaerts lines one sharply to right, it stays up but it's deep enough to score the run. RUN: Red Sox 5, Yankees 0.


• Nunez pops out to second.

• Sale fastball speeds: 93.7, 95.9, 94.1, 94.3, 94.6, 93.4, 96.2


• Sanchez strikes out looking. That's five K's in six outs.


• Walk to Torres.


• Mookie makes a Mookie play on a McCutchen liner to right. Betts tracks it down, makes the play and nearly doubles off Torres. Sensational.

• Judge bounces out weakly into a fielder's choice to end the inning.


• Sale pitches: Inning 15/8. Game 49/30

• Kinsler strikes out.


• Leon pops out to left.


• Happ snares a ground ball up the middle by Betts to retire the side.

• Sale fastball speeds: 93.9, 95.2, 95, 96.4


• Voit singles up the middle on a 1-0 fastball.


• Gregorius narrowly misses extra bases on a foul down the left-field line. After two more foul balls, Gregorius becomes the fourth strikeout.


• Andujar ends the inning on a 4-6-3 double play.


• 10 pitches in the inning, 34 for the game (22 strikes).

• Betts strikes out


• Benintendi bounces a single in the third base hole, and steals second on the first pitch.


• Walk to Pearce


• Line-drive, three-run bomb by Martinez into the first row of the Monster. 2-0 pitch. RUNS: Red Sox 3, Yankees 0.


• Bogaerts fouls out, and Nunez lines out to end the inning.

• Sale's fastball speed: 95.4, 94.1, 93, 95.1, 95.1, 95.6, 94.6, 95, 95.7, 96.6


• Sale's first two pitches were 95.4 and 94.1 on a four-pitch strikeout looking of McCutchen.


• Sale strikeouts out Judge on backdoor slider. That's two.


• Two-out walk to Hicks after Sale bounces a few sliders.


• Goes to 3-1 on Stanton, but comes back to strike him out and the side. Good start.

____________________

• Alex Cora said the last two spots on the pitching staff "came down to four in the end.'' The Sox went with Joe Kelly and Brandon Workman over Heath Hembree and Bobby Poyner. Cora said Hembree was hurt by his difficulty with runners on base in the last month, along with his propensity for giving up homers in the second half. "He wasn't keeping the ball in the ballpark,'' said Cora of Hembree, "which is important.'' He also cited the fact that the Sox don't have to match up with two many lefty hitters in the New Yok lineup and not wanting to take a lefty (Poyner) for the sake of having a lefty. Also, Kelly has handled lefties pretty well during the season, giving them another option in addition to Eduardo Rodriguez.


• Cora said he it's likely that Rafael Devers will play third base against righthander Masahiro Tanaka Saturday.


• Readying to manage his first postseason game, Cora admitted he was a bit nervous Thursday night and watched a lot of video until almost midnight, but felt essentially the same Friday.


• Cora on Blake Swihart: "Everyone sees him as a third catcher. I see him more as a utility guy. He can pinch-hit, pinch run, he can catch, he can play the outfield.''


• Brock Holt is seen as the likely first pinch-hit option off the bench. "I told him to be ready at any time,'' said Cora.