Xander Bogaerts had a great night. Aaron Judge had a better one.
Judge snapped a tie in the bottom of the eighth with a two-run homer to left, sending the Yankees to a 9-7 comeback victory over the Red Sox, who absorbed their third straight loss. Judge had hit a three-run homer in the second and had five RBI for the night.
Bogaerts had a four-hit game including two homers and knocked in three, but it wasn't enough for the Red Sox, who on four occasions blew a lead.
Matt Barnes inherited a one-run lead in the eighth but after getting two quick outs, allowed three consecutive hits, topped by Judge's shot, measured at 468 feet.
Together, Bogaerts and Rafael Devers hit three homers, collected six hits and knocked in five runs.
WHO: Red Sox (3-6) vs. New York Yankees (6-1)
WHEN: 7:08 p.m.
WHERE: Yankee Stadium
SERIES TO DATE: Yankees 2-0
STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Austin Brice (0-0, 7.71) vs. LHP James Paxton (0-1, 27.00)
TV/RADIO: ESPN/WEEI 93.7 FM
LINEUPS
RED SOX
Pillar LF
Martinez RF
Devers 3B
Bogaerts SS
Vazquez DH
Chavis 1B
Plawecki C
Bradley CF
Peraza 2B
YANKEES
LeMahieu 2B
Judge RF
Torres SS
Stanton DH
Hicks CF
Voit 1B
Sanchez C
Urshela 3B
Andujar LF
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
10:12 Did that one clear the fence? Tough to tell.
10:08 Matt Barnes didn't pay any attention to Mike Tauchman at first, leading to a stolen base. Then, the opposite-field single from LeMahieu scored Tauchman
9:53 We'll see if the Red Sox rue that missed opportunity. They're unable to do anything with a leadoff double from Bogaerts, which could have given them a valuable insurance run.
9:31 Talk about an inviting pitch for Devers -- down-and-in, exactly where a lefty slugger wants it and Devers sent it deep into the RF bleachers. Third Red Sox homer of the night.
9:03 Luke Voit goes down and swats a fastball in the bottom of the zone and drills it to left. First run allowed by Hembree this season and it's tied again. Red Sox have lost three leads so far.
8:53 It's safe to say that Bogaerts has found his swing. He's homered to left, his second homer of the night. He's got nine total bases and we're in the fifth inning. He's got five hits in the series.
8:46 It's hard to overstate how good Heath Hembree has been this season. In 4.1 innings over five appearances, he's allowed just one baserunner.
8:44 Second fantastic backhand play by Devers tonight. Impressive how quickly he was able to get to his feet, ready himself and make a strong accurate throw.
8:26 For the second time tonight, the Red Sox have blown a two-run lead.
8:19 Red Sox pitchers have issued four walks tonight in fewer than three innings. That's asking for big trouble with this lineup, in this ballpark.
8:08 Sox make the Yankees pay for their sloppiness in the field as Vazquez stays back on a pitch and shoots to right, scoring Bogaerts.
8:06 Xander Bogaerts jumps on a cutter and lines it to left. It should have been a single, but Miguel Andujar booted, allowing Devers to score from first and Bogaerts to take third.
8:03 Red Sox tie things up quickly, with a ground-rule double by Kevin Pillar and a ground single to right by Devers. In the 10th game of the season, that's the first RBI of the year for Devers.
7:57 Judge gets an 89 mph fastball on the inner half and predictably, crushes it with two on. The Yankees have hit six homers in the series over 18 innings.
7:53 What's impressive about that play by Rafael Devers -- taking away extra bases from Miguel Andujar -- is that he made that stop on his backhand. He's been far better going to his left, but balls hit to his backhand side have given him more difficulty.
7:48 Matt Hall in for the second. He's gone from starter to bulk guy in the span of a turn through the rotation.
7:35 Austin Brice fans Luke Voit on a full-count, leaving the bases loaded. Brice deserved a break there. Had Peraza held onto the popup, he would have been out of the inning about 20 pitches ago. And he probably got cheated by home plate umpire James Hoye, who missed strike three at the top of the zone on an 0-and-2 pitch earlier in the at-bat.
7:27 Jose Peraza, shifted around to the left side, goes after a popup in shallow center off the bat of Aaron Judge and....drops it.
7:17 Xander Bogaerts jumps on a 90 mph fastball over the middle of the plate and drive it out to right, scoring Martinez. And here, in Game 10, the Red Sox have finally scored in the first inning.
7:15 J.D. Martinez, who had just two hits since the second game of the season, snaps out with a booming double to straightaway CH. Aaron Hicks seemed to have trouble tracking that ball, as it looked catchable.
PRE-GAME NOTES:
- Xander Bogaerts, like a lot of hitters in the Red Sox lineup, is frustrated about the team's lack of production of late. "We're good hitters. The guys who haven't been playing the way they're supposed to, we'll get there,''; vowed Bogaerts. "The season is short, we don't have much time. But in 15 games, a lot can change. We just have to do our part. I know sometimes we want to go out there and get four or five hits every day. That's how competitive we are. But it's not going to happen and we have to understand that.''
- Bogaerts is close friends with pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez, who was shut down for the rest of the season Saturday because of myocarditis. "That was hard because I actually talk to him every day, we play video games and stuff,'' Bogaerts said. "He seems pretty g ood,he seems pretty OK physically. But he's dealing with something pretty serious. Losing him for the whole season is really tough. But health is first, safety is fist. He's going what's best for him, the team is doing what's best for him, his family and his health. I think it's a great decision on their part. We're going miss him,. Obviously, we have him in our prayers and hopefully we get to see him back as soon as possible.''
- Ron Roenicke gave J.D. Martinez his first start of the season in the outfield and also dropped him from second to third in the order. "I think just trying to nix it up a little bit,'' said Roenicke. "If it's just a comfort thing, then great. But anything to just try to jump start it. It shouldn't matter (where guys hit), but you guys know that sometimes it does.''
- Roenicke chose to have Christian Vazquez and his bat in the lineup at DH. He also noted that they could play him at first base. "The really good thing about moving Vasky is that he loves when you do that,'' he said. "He's all fired up to do it. He's very confident when he does (move). He's got great hands and a great arm, so that's never an issue there. We want his bat in the lineup.''
- The Sox move onto to Tampa Bay after the game, a COVID-19 hotspot. "It is concerning going there and getting in the hotel, and it's concerning with the off-day (Monday). With an off-day, you want guys to relax and do some things they enjoy and we know that that's probably not a good idea. We've talked to all of them. Actually, some of them have come in and talked to us and asked us our opinion about doing some things. You hate to restrict them and just say, 'Hey, you have to spend the whole day in your room for 24 hours.' The pool is probably not a good idea. It's tough because you know that if they do stay in and do nothing, but you also want them to relax and it is a day off to enjoy yourself and have fun. Those two don't always fix. But hopefully we'll continue to do the things that keep us safer.''