Up by a run and two innings away from getting the win over the Yankees that they needed, the Red Sox saw their bullpen implode with a four-run eighth inning, giving New York a dramatic, come-from-behind 5-3 victory that forged a tie for the top wild card spot in the American League,
Tanner Houck lit the match and Darwinzon Hernandez fanned the flames as Hernandez gave up a gargantuan grand slam to Giancarlo Stanton.
The bullpen debacle wasted a fine effort by starter Nick Pivetta, who limited the Yanks to a single run over five innings.
WHO: Red Sox (88-66) vs. New York Yankees (87-67)
WHEN: 4:10 p.m.
WHERE: Fenway Park
SEASON SERIES TO DATE: BOS 10-7
SERIES TO DATE: NY 1-0
STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Nick Pivetta (9-7, 4.63) vs, LHP Nestor Cortes (2-2, 2,79)
TV/RADIO: MLBN, NESN; WEEI-FM 93.7
LINEUPS:
YANKEES
Gardner CF
Judge RF
Rizzo LF
Stanton DH
Gallo LF
Torres 2B
Sanchez C
Odor 3B
Urshela SS
RED SOX
Hernandez CF
Renfroe RF
Bogaerts SS
Devers 3B
Martinez DH
Schwarber LF
Dalbec 1B
Plawecki C
Iglesias 2B
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
B9: A solo homer by Dalbec brings the Sox to within two.
T8: Well, now. A complete bullpen meltdown by the Red Sox as Houck walks two, Darwinzon Hernandez hits one and then Hernandez gives up a towering grand slam to Giancarlo Stanton.
T7: Tanner Houck finds the strike zone just in time. After issuing two walks -- on eight straight pitches -- he gets a huge double play ball out of Torres, then fans Gary Sanchez to strand the tying run at third.
B6: Red Sox really squared up up two balls against King this inning -- a long flyout to the warning track in CF for Bogaerts and a hard liner to RF by Martinez -- but couldn't produce a hit. Lefty Lucas Luetge on for Schwarber with two down and Rafael Devers at first.
T6: Robles tosses a wild pitch to allow Urshela to score from third and Gardner to move to third. Then, with the infield in, he gets Judge to hit a chopper to Rafael Devers, who fires home to erase Gardner.
T6: One-out single by Gio Urshela and a double into the RF corner from Brett Gardner, and that's all for Pivetta. Hansel Robles on.
B5: Sox had the bases loaded and one out and came away with just one run -- that came on a wild pitch. King helped his cause by fanning both Kike Hernandez and Renfroe to get out of the jam.
B5: Michael King uncorks a very wild pitch with the bases loaded, enabling Kyle Schwarber to score from third base.
B5: Bobby Dalbec crushes a pitch the other way, but tracks it down in front of the Red Sox bullpen and reaches out to snare it. Was headed out for a two-run shot.
T5: Pivetta is cruising. One hit allowed over five innings, with seven strikeouts. He's retired the last dozen hitters in order.
B4: On a two-out, full-count delivery, J.D. Martinez hits a bullet to center -- but right at Brett Gardner, stranding Hunter Renfroe.
B3: Kevin Plawecki connects with a cutter down and in and hammers it off one of the Monster Seats signs for his third homer of the season.
T3: Pivetta keeps Rougned Odor in the ballpark -- but just barely. Hunter Renfroe drifts back to the warning track and hauls in a ball maybe a foot or two in front of the low wall.
T1: Nick Pivetta, who's had some difficulty in the first inning, mows down the Yankees in order, getting three instances of weak contact.
WHAT's UP: At 88-66 (.571), the Red Sox rank 3rd in the AL and 6th in the majors in win percentage. The Sox are 22 games above .500, 1 shy of their season high (62-39, 63-40, 88-65). Since 8/20, the Sox are 7-2-1 in series and 19-12 (.613) in games...They are 13-7 (.650) in September....The Red Sox snapped a 7-game winning streak last night, their 3rd-longest of the season (9-0 from 4/5-14, 8-0 from 6/25-7/2). The only other teams with 3 winning streaks of 7+ games this season are the Dodgers and A’s. The only other seasons since 1950 in which the Sox had 3 win streaks of 7+ games were 1978, 1990, and 2018.... Prior to giving up 8 runs last night, the Red Sox had posted the majors’ lowest ERA in their previous 12 games from 9/8-23 (2.67). Before last night, the Sox had won each of Nathan Eovaldi’s previous 6 starts...In his last 8 starts leading up to Friday, he had posted a 2.27 ERA with 64 SO and 8 BB. Prior to last night, the Red Sox had scored 6+ runs in each of their previous 7 games. ...The Red Sox’ bullpen allowed only 1 run in 6.1 IP last night, recording 7 SO and 1 BB...In their last 13 games (beginning 9/8), Sox relievers have posted the majors’ lowest ERA (1.75; 11 ER/56.2 IP). ...Rafael Devers hit his MLB-leading 10th 3-run HR last night...The Red Sox lead the majors with 36 3-run homers, their most in franchise history (source: Elias)...The Giants rank 2nd with 30. The Sox have hit 39 HR with at least 2 runners on base (3 grand slams), tied for their 2nd-most in franchise history (41 in 2005, 39 in 2016). ....The Red Sox lead the majors in doubles (325) and XBH (553) and rank T-3rd in runs per game (5.2), 3rd in AVG (.262), 2nd in SLG (.451), and 3rd in OPS (.780). The Sox rank 10th in MLB with 206 HR...They have homered in 27 of their last 29 games; in that time (beginning 8/23), they rank T-4th in MLB with 49 HR. ...In their last 41 games (beginning 8/8), the Sox lead the majors in AVG and OPS with runners in scoring position (.313/.937)...In their 113 games prior, they ranked 17th in AVG and 18th in OPS with RISP (.252/.744). The Sox are slugging an MLB-best .439 against relief pitchers. .....The Sox lead the majors in 2-strike RBI this season (320), 39 more than any other team. With 2 strikes, the Sox also lead MLB in XBH (201)...They lead MLB in HR hit in counts of 0-2 (18) and 1-2 (27). The Sox lead MLB in runs scored with 2 outs (322)... With RISP & 2 outs, they lead the AL in OPS (.838).....The Red Sox entered today with MLB’s largest increase in win % from 2020 (.400) to 2021 (.571). Boston’s .426 win % in 2012 (69-93) is the club’s lowest ever prior to a postseason campaign. : In home games, the Red Sox lead MLB in runs per game (5.9), AVG (.281), and OPS (.836)...Their .620 win % at home ranks 4th in the AL and 6thth in MLB. The Sox started the season 10-11 at home but are since 39-19 (.672), including 30-13 (.698) in their last 43. In their last 23 home games (beginning 8/11), the Sox have scored 176 runs (7.65 per game) and hit 40 HR. COMEBACK KIDS: The Red Sox have 46 come-from-behind wins, most in the majors (Rays-45)....Devers hit his 35th HR of the season last night...The only other Red Sox to hit 35+ HR in a season before turning 25 years old are Hall of Famers Jim Rice (39 in 1977) and Ted Williams (37 in 1941; 36 in 1942). Devers ranks among the top 10 in MLB in RBI (6th, 108), HR (T-10th, 35), doubles (T-9th, 36), XBH (T-6th, 72), and total bases (T-7th, 296)...The Red Sox have been charged with 0 errors in their last 6 games, tied for their 2nd-longest streak of the season...They had an 8-game errorless streak from 7/22-29. Red Sox outfielders lead MLB with 42 assists, their most in a season since 1987 (47)...No other team has more than 33 OF assists this season. Hunter Renfroe leads MLB with 16 OF assists; Alex Verdugo has 9 and Kiké Hernández has 8...Hernández ranks 4th among CF in defensive runs saved (13). ...The Red Sox have used 56 players this season, tied for their most in franchise history (also 2012). The Sox have used 33 pitchers, their most in franchise history...That does not include 4 position players who have pitched (Araúz, Arroyo, Gonzalez, Plawecki). 10 players have made their MLB debut with the Red Sox this season (Bazardo, Crawford, Duran, Espinal, López, Ort, Sawamura, Seabold, Whitlock, Wong). ...The Red Sox feature 6 players who have hit at least 20 HR this season...3 players have recorded at least 90 RBI for the Sox.
NOTES:
* Connor Seabold was scratched from his scheduled start at Worcester Saturday afternoon, prompting speculation that he might be called up and added to the roster. Alex Cora said, somewhat cryptically, that hasn't happened -- yet. "We're just thinking ahead, just in case something happens,'' said Cora.
* Once again, Jose Iglesias was in the starting lineup at second and once again, that meant that Christian Arroyo found himself on the bench. This, despite the fact that Iglesias isn't eligible for the postseason and Arroyo, presumably, will be the team's starting second baseman in the playoffs. "We're trying to win games and Jose is playing well,'' offered Cora. "(Arroyo) is part of the roster. We'll use him in certain situations. But right now, (Iglesias) is playing good defense. There's too much talk about the future. To be honest, the future is today. We'll take it day-by-day. We cannot get ahead of ourselves, so Iggy is playing today.''