Final, Game 1: Yankees 9, Red Sox 2

WHO: Red Sox (59-52 ) vs. New York Yankees (69-39 )
WHEN: 1:05 p.m.
WHERE: Yankee Stadium
SERIES TO DATE: New York 1-0
SEASON SERIES TO DATE: New York 8-4
STARTING PITCHERS: LHP Chris Sale (5-10, 4.26) vs. RHP Domingo German (13-2, 4.08)
TV/RADIO: NESN, Fox Sports 1/WEEI 93.7 FM

In one of their ugliest losses of the season, the Red Sox were clocked by the New York Yankees, 9-2, for their sixth straight loss.

Chris Sale allowed seven runs in the fourth inning and fell to 5-11 with an ERA of 4.68 for the season. Sale complained about some home plate umpires Mike Esterbrook. Alex Cora was ejected for arguing with Esterbrook and Sale himself was run after he was lifted from the game.

The only two runs by the Sox came on solo homers from Andrew Benintendi and Jackie Bradley Jr.

Domingo German gave the Yanks seven innings and allowed just five hits.

 

IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:

3:40  Some life from the Red Sox as Marco Hernandez makes a fine backhand stop, then quickly gets to his feet to throw across the infield to get Torres at first. There's been some question about Hernandez's ability to play short, but that was quite a play.

3:11  Pretty pathetic offensive showing for the Red Sox -- for the second straight days. Limited to just three hits in the series opener Friday night, they have five today, but have been set down nine in a row over the last three innings, on just 31 pitches.

2:38 Jackie Bradley Jr., who had been in a skid (0-for-12) opens the fifth by just reaching the seats in RF.

2:26  Sale has come unglued here, giving up six runs in the fourth. It's uncertain whether he's lost focus after not getting a couple of ball/strike calls to go his way, but Sale has failed to get himself out of this mess.

2:22   You could see that one coming -- the Red Sox' dugout has been barking at home plate umpire Mike Estabrook for the first few innings and Alex Cora came out to the mound with the express purpose of drawing Estabrook out and giving him some grief. Just as predictably, that got him ejected in a hurry.

2:17   Rafael Devers couldn't get the out, but with the outstretched backhand, he keeps the ball in front of him and prevents a run from scoring.

2:08 Red Sox piece together consecutive one-out singles, but German digs in and gets both Brock Holt and Mitch Moreland swinging to strand two runners.

1:51  Gio Urshela goes all out and snares a foul pop-up just in front of the protecting netting down the left field line. It strikes me that, with netting at most ballparks, we're not likely to see any more catches like the one Derek Jeter, propelled into the stands, made against the Sox in 2004.

1:35  Andrew Benintendi crushes a curveball from Domingo German to right-center, his 12th homer of the year and fourth homer in the last six games. What a difference the adjustments at the plate have meant in the last two weeks.

1:20 So often the case this season, Chris Sale is victimized by the long ball. D.J. LeMahieu goes deep to straightaway center. That's 21 homers off Sale this year, compared to just 11 last season.

LINEUPS:



RED SOX

Betts RF
Devers 3B
Bogaerts SS
Martinez DH
Benintendi LF
Holt 2B
Moreland 1B
Bradley CF
Leon C

YANKEES

LeMahieu 1B
Judge RF
Encarnacion DH
Torres SS
Urshela 3B
Maybin LF
Higashioka C
Valera 2B
Gardner CF

WHAT's UP: The Red Sox' losing streak reached five straight game Friday night in the series opener, their longest losing streak since July of 2019...Prior to losing the five straight, the Red Sox had gone 14-6...Friday's loss featured this statistical quirk: with the Sox scoring twice in the top of the inning and the Yankees scoring four in the bottom half, it marked just the second game in the last 25 in which teams scored a combined six or more runs in the first, then didn't score at all the rest of the way...The Sox are 0-6 in their last series at Yankee Stadium....Boston is just 4-13 in its last 17 games in New York and 8-21 over the last 29...Today marks the first doubleheader between the Sox and Yanks since July 17, 2017 when each team won a game 3-0 at Fenway...Over the last five doubleheaders between the rivals, the Yankees have won the first game and the Red Sox the second...J.D. Martinez hit his sixth homer of the season against the Yankees Friday night. The only other Red Sox hitters to hit six or more homers in a single season against the Yankees are: Jimmie Foxx (eight in 1936); Jackie Jensen (seven in 1955); Mike Napoli (seven in 2013); and Manny Ramirez (seven in both 2004 and 2006).