The Red Sox erupted for four runs in the eighth inning, snapping a 3-3 tie, and grabbing a 7-3 victory over the New York Yankees for Boston's third win in a row and second straight in the series against their rivals.
Kike Hernandez snapped an 0-for-27 skid with a run-scoring double and Christian Vazquez cue-balled a double to right, scoring Hernandez. Bobby Dalbec then gave them some breathing room with a mammoth two-run shot to left-center.
Rafael Devers continued to emerge from his slump with a two-run double to erase a 2-0 New York lead in the sixth.
Eduardo Rodriguez didn't qualify for the win, but took a big step forward with a strong 5.1 innings.
WHO: Red Sox (34-23) vs. New York Yankees (31-27)
WHEN: 7:15 p.m.
WHERE: Yankee Stadium
SERIES TO DATE: BOS 1-0
STARTING PITCHERS: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (5-4, 5.64) vs. RHP Jameson Taillon (1-4, 5.10)
TV/RADIO: Fox; WEEI-FM 93.7
LINEUPS
RED SOX
Santana DH
Verdugo LF
Bogaerts SS
Devers 3B
Renfroe RF
Gonzalez 2B
Hernandez CF
Vazquez C
Dalbec 1B
YANKEES
LeMahieu 2B
Stanton DH
Judge CF
Urshela 3B
Torres SS
Gittens 1B
Andujar LF
Sanchez C
Frazier RF
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
T8: What a shot from Bobby Dalbec -- over the visitor's bullpen for a two-run homer, and blowing this one open.
T8: Another slumping hitter -- Vazquez -- comes through in a big spot, reaching out and shooting a double down the right field line, scoring Hernandez.
T8: With Devers off and running on a 2-and-2 pitch, Kike Hernandez snaps an 0-for-27 by getting on top of a high fastball from Chad Green and doubling to left.
T7: Some tough luck -- and another baserunning gaffe -- hurt the Sox. Bogarts hits a rocket to third, but right at Urshela. Worse, Santana breaks for third on the liner and got caught off second and is doubled up to end the inning.
B6: A walk, a double and a sacrifice fly ties the game for the Yankees, though, with the go-ahead run at third, Garrett Whitlock preserves the lead by fanning Chris Gittens.
T6: Signs of life for Marwin Gonzalez, who hammers a double down the right field line, scoring Devers and giving the Sox their first lead.
T6: Taillon had been challenging Devers at the top of the zone, but on a payoff pitch, threw him a fastball down-and-in which Devers roped into right field, scoring two, tying the game and chasing Taillon.
T6: Misplayed in left field by Miguel Andujar, who is a poor defender. Andujar had more room on the warning track, but didn't sense it and the catchable ball hit about head high on the wall for a double for Bogaerts.
B4: Gleyber Torres, who had two previous homers off Rodriguez, connects for a third, hitting a fastball at the top of the zone out to left for a 2-0 lead.
B2: Eduardo Rodriguez strikes out consecutive hitters on a dive-bombing changeup - a good sign for Rodriguez. Alex Cora has called it the pitch that Rodriguez needs to command to turn things around.
T2: Poor baserunning by Christian Vazquez, who is usually one of the team's best in that regard. With the play in front of him, tried to stretch a single into a double is out easily at second, taking the Sox out of a run-scoring opporutunity.
B1: Rocket off the bat of Aaron Judge, deflects from Bogaerts to Marwin Gonzalez, who barehands it and throws Judge out.
T1: Gio Urhsela, one of the most underrated third basemen in the game, makes an outstanding play to his backhand on a ball hit by Xander Bogaerts, then fires an off-balance throw across the diamond for the out.
WHAT'S UP: The Red Sox snapped an 11-game losing streak at Yankee Stadium Friday night winning there for the first time in two years...At 34-23 (.596), the Sox own the third-best record in the American League and are tied for fifth-best in the majors. The Sox are 4-1-1 in their last 6 series (10-4-4 overall). The Sox lead all of baseball n come-from-behind wins with 19....At 18-10 (.643), the Sox own MLB’s third-best road record...They are 6-2-0 in road series....In their last three games, Red Sox pitchers have struck out 31 batters and walked only four. Last night, Sox pitchers recorded 15 strikeouts and just one walk...It marked only the second time they have ever struck out 15 or more batters and walked one or none at Yankee Stadium. The other time featured a complete-game effort by Pedro Martinez on Sept. 10, 1999 when he fanned 17 walked no one and allowed just one hit: a solo homer to Chili Davis...: The Sox lead the majors in doubles (127) and extra-base hits (202)...They rank second in slugging percentage (437), third in batting average (.256), fourth in OPS (.753), and fifth in runs (281). The Sox are an MLB-best 30-3 (.908) when scoring four or more runs...They are 25-3 when scoring five or more runs, 21-1 when scoring six or more runs, and 16-0 when scoring seven or more runs. The Red Sox are out-homering their opponents, 71- 42 (+29), the largest difference in MLB...They are 17-2 (.895) when hitting two or more homers...Red Sox starters haven't allowed more than one home run in the last 39 games, the team's longest stretch since 2010...Boston's starters have thrown five or more innings in 33 of the last 36 games. The Sox are 17-5 when their starter lasts six or more innings. Sox starters rank sixth in ERA (3.99)...They are the only A.L. team featuring four pitchers with 10+ starts and a sub-3.80 ERA....Red Sox relievers rank fifth in the AL and eighth in MLB in ERA (3.66), after posting a 5.79 ERA in 2020. Five different Sox relievers have a sub-3.20 ERA...Matt Barnes has struck out 44 of 88 batters faced (50.0%), the second-best rate in MLB (with a minimum of 50 batters faced)....Barnes has thrown first-pitch strikes to 75.0% of hitters, the best mark among MLB relievers (min. 20.0 IP). Barnes leads the majors with 13 appearances of at least one inning and no baserunners allowed.... Xander Bogaerts leads AL shortstops in batting average (.315), OBP (.375), slugging percentage (.537), OPS (.912), doubles (15), extra-base hits (25), wRC+ (149), and FanGraphs’ WAR (2.5)....Rafael Devers leads MLB in extra-base hits (33) and is tied for the lead in RBI with 46)....He also leads AL third basemen in homers (15), slugging percentage (.592), OPS (.942), and doubles (18.... J.D. Martinez leads DHs in AVG (.321), OBP (.389), OPS (.958), runs (41), hits (67), doubles (tied, 16), wRC+ (162), and FanGraphs’ WAR (2.0)...Gleyber Torres is 5-for-15 with two homers lifetime off Eduardo Rodriguez while Gio Urshela is 4-for-13 with a homer...Hunter Renfroe is 3-for-6 with a homer in his career against Jameson Taillon while Danny Santana is 2-for-3 with a homer.
NOTES:
* J.D. Martinez was in the Red Sox' original lineup before being scratched soon after with a sore left wrist. Martinez jammed the wrist sliding into second base Friday night. He's available to pinch-hit if necessary. With Martinez out of the lineup. Danny Santana, who was in left, is now the DH, with Hunter Renfroe, who was supposed to be given the night off, back in the lineup in RF, and Alex Verdugo, originally in RF, now sliding over to his more customary left field.
* Alex Cora had Santana at the top of the lineup for the second straight game, with Hernandez hitting seventh. It's the first time this season that Hernandez has been in the starting lineup and not hitting leadoff. Hernandez is in the midst of an 0-for-24 skid at the plate. Said Cora: "Danny is swinging the bat well. We want somebody to get on base or drive the ball. We want to set the tempo. With this matchup, it was good to put Danny there. Sometimes, you've got to breathe. Hitting (Hernandez) seventh, he'll see the pitcher for one inning or from a different perspective.''
* Ryan Brasier has been discharged from a Fort Myers hospital after being struck on the side of the head Friday morning by a line drive during a simulated game at Fenway South. Brasier was going to be cleared to begin a rehab assignment after a visit to Boston, but that's been pushed off some. Brasier has a sizeable cut above his right ear, where he was struck.
* Reliever Adam Ottavino, who has had nine straight scoreless appearances and who has a 1.50 ERA over his last 20 outings, believes he's throwing the ball better than in anytime over his career. "I think I have the best stuff I've ever had right now, better than at any other time,'' he said. "I've got more weapons than I had before. I'm throwing harder than I have in four or five years. I'm smarter. I have more experience.''