All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' win over the Yankees, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Nathan Eovaldi cruises with a new friend...until late: DJ LaMahieu cracked the door open for the Yankees on Eovaldi's 109th and final pitch in the 8th inning. Eovaldi praised Alex Cora letting him start that frame after throwing 97 pitches in seven innings prior, allowing six hits, striking out six and walking nobody in 7.2 shutout innings to match the longest start by a Red Sox pitcher this season. The result didn't matter to him, LaMahieu knocking 2-1 Eovaldi's slider over Hirokazu Sawamura's head in the bullpen. Sawamura would soon replace him and put the win in danger, with the Yankees loading then stranding loaded bases down 4-1.
Eovaldi (3.67 ERA) earned his third win in his last six starts with his best outing of the season, tossing 66% of his 109 pitches for strikes to his catcher Connor Wong, making his first MLB start. Wong took pictures with family holding the ball he caught for the final out shortly after a sellout crowd poured out of Fenway Park to watch him call consequential at-bats until the final out. Cora told Eovaldi that Wong, up from Triple-A Worcester, would catch him today midway through the Tampa series, since they threw together last offseason. Eovaldi talked with Wong throughout the week, he said, preparing him for the locations he wanted to hit with specific pitches. The duo put away hitters with Eovaldi's high-90s fastball (six outs), low-90s cutter (five outs), with an array of sliders (five outs), curveballs (four outs) and a splitter that mixed up Gary Sánchez to foul a pitch straight into the sky and into Wong's glove. Wong also garnered his first hit in his first at-bat, a single to right before striking out twice.
“Wong and I, we were on the same page right away," Eovaldi said. "We established the fastball ... he’s only 20-30 minutes away from me (near Houston), I thought he did really well tonight.”
Bullpen hits a bump: Sawamura and Adam Ottavino relieved Eovaldi for the final four outs, who put seven Yankees on base with a 4-1 lead. Sawamura walked Judge after getting him to swing on a fastball and splitter, before he extended the at-bat to 10 pitches. Sawamura was forced to throw 20 pitches after 20 on Friday, walking Sánchez on six pitches, then Stanton on four. Ottavino entered to face Luke Voit with the bases loaded, before grounding out to Xander Bogaerts, who scooped six groundouts and helped turn a double play with Michael Chavis.
Ottavino returned for the ninth inning with a 4-1 lead, recording an out before Glyber Torres singled Rougned Odor pinch hit into a near double play, then took second base without a contest. LaMahieu hit him home on a single, then Brett Gardner walked to bring Judge to the plate as the go-ahead run. Ottavino built an 0-2 lead with two pitches over the plate, tossed two balls, nearly gave up a hit down the left-field line that fell foul, before sneaking a sinker away from Judge's bat to secure a scary save. Boston's bullpen initially garnered some needed rest, but Sawamura and Ottavino's trouble late will likely leave them unavailable for Sunday.
"We needed an outing like where we were bullpen-wise," Cora said. "(Eovaldi) did an amazing job…he was locked in…he was under control."
TURNING POINT
Bogaerts ripped a two-out double 109 MPH off the center-field wall with the Red Sox ahead 2-0 in the third inning. Devers then hit a grounder to second base that he initially got called out on to end the inning. Boston called for a review that overturned the call, which mercifully took less than two minutes to review, allowing Renfroe to rip a line drive off Yankees starter Jordan Montgomery for one of four Red Sox infield singles and score Bogaerts. Along with three sacrifice flies, small ball gave the Red Sox enough insurance to stave off late damage and keep the pressure on Eovaldi low throughout his start.
THREE UP
Xander Bogaerts: Extended his MLB-best on-base streak to 21 games with a 3-3 night, doubling, singling twice and scoring Chavis in the seventh inning on a sacrifice fly. He had a perfect night in the field, recording outs on each of the ground balls he fielded, and moved to fifth in MLB at .332.
Hunter Renfroe: After a heroic fielding effort on Friday, he took advantage of a lefty starter by hitting 3-for-4. All three of his hits came hustling out infield singles.
Rafael Devers: Made up for a fielding blunder in the sixth inning by ending the frame with a 6-4-3 double play. Scored in the second inning on a rare sacrifice fly to the first baseman Voit, who caught Bobby Dalbec's fly out in foul territory with his back turned before Devers raced and tip-toed safe just ahead of Sánchez' tag.
ONE DOWN
Michael Chavis: Turned a few double plays, but he's back in the Majors as a potential leadoff option and hasn't been at 2-for-12 (.167) in his last three games. In his first three at-bats tonight, he grounded out in four pitches, grounded out in one, then struck out in three. A late single on a 3-1 count and run in the seventh inning redeemed his night, but still didn't prove sufficient leadoff production for a team starving for production at that spot.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"(Connor Wong) did a really good job. There's some calmness, right? The way he sets up. He's not panicking back there…Great communication with Nate…amazing job" Alex Cora
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
*The Red Sox are now 41-4 when they score at least four runs. They're 28-12 when they score first.
*Bogaert's 109 MPH double off the center-field wall wasn't the fastest hit ball of the night. Renfroe's infield single off Montgomery ripped off the starter at 110 MPH. He waved off a trainer and finished the game comfortably, retiring seven Red Sox after a rough start to give New York a chance.
*Entering tonight, Eovaldi relied on his fastball (44.2%), curveballs (17.3%), cutters (14.7%). sliders (12.2%) and split fingers (11.5%) most. He threw all five four outs tonight, specifically throwing six fastballs, five cutters, five sliders, four curveballs and one splitter for outs.
UP NEXT
The two teams complete their series at 1:10 p.m. with LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (5-4, 6.07) vs. RHP Gerrit Cole (8-3, 2.33).