Red Sox starter Henry Owens had no velocity nor command yet gutted his way through the top of the first. Old pal Jacoby Ellsbury worked a walk and Brett Gardner singled...but Carlos Beltran banged into a double play. Mark Teixeira flied out to end the inning. Yankees starter Masahiro Tanakao was equally tough. Mr.Mookie Betts grounded out and Dustin Pedroia did as well. Yankees 3rd basemen Chase Headley booted a ground ball by Xander Bogaerts and he reached first. David Ortiz grounded to first to end the inning.
The Yankees struck first in the top of the second. Alex Rodriguez blasted a 427 foot bomb to center to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. Brian McCann struck out but Starlin Castro tripled. Headley lofted a flyball to Brock Holt in left and Castro bolted for home.....OUT! Yankees had the lead but it could have been worse.
The Sox tried to fight back in the bottom of the second. Hanley Ramirez singled and advanced on the wild pitch by Tanaka. Travis Shaw lined out and Holt grounded out, moving Hanley to third. Ryan Hanigan struck out to end the inning.
The defense pitched in to aid the top of the third inning. Didi Gregorious popped up but Ellsbury walked. Ellsbury's diminished speed was on display as the Sox executed a strike em out, throw em out double play when Gardner whiffed. Ellsbury was thrown out at second to end the inning.
The Sox failed to capitalize in the bottom of the third. Jackie Bradley Jr struck out, Mr. Mooke grounded out and Pedroia popped up to end the inning.
Owens hung tough in the top of the fourth. Beltran grounded out but Teixeira walked. A-Rod flied out and McCann grounded out to end the inning. Bogaerts flied out to begin the bottom of the fourth. Ortiz beat the shift with an infield single to third but Ramirez struck out. Shaw popped up to end the inning.
The Yankees struck again in the top of the fifth. Castro singled but Headley banged into a double play. Gregorious was hit with a pitch, Ellsbury singled and Gardner singled home Didi to make it 2-0. Beltran popped up to end the inning. Once again the Sox failed to fight back in the bottom of the fifth. Holt grounded out, Hanigan struck out and JBJ grounded out to end the inning.
Owens recovered for one last inning in the top of the sixth. Teixeira struck out, A-Rod grounded out and McCann flied out to end the inning. He had poor command and barely topped 90 on the gun but Owens had tossed 6 innings of 2 run ball.
Tanaka matched him in the bottom of the sixth. Mr. Mookie grounded out and Pedroia flied out. Bogaerts singled but Ortiz grounded out to end the inning.
Matt Barnes took over in the top of the seventh. Castro, Headley and Gregoriouis grounded out in short order. The Sox finally rallied in the bottom of the seventh. Ramirez lined out but Shaw singled. Holt singled but Hanigan struck out. JBJ doubled into the gap to score both runners and tie the game. That was it for Tanaka as Dellin Bentances relieved him to pitch to Betts. Mr. Mookie flied out and it was down to a battle of the bullpens. With Carson Smith pitching to two batters in Portland that night and Aroldis Chapman suspended, neither team was at full strength.
It was Koji time in the top of the eighth. Koji Uehara (1-1) got Ellsbury to ground out then struck out Gardner. Beltran flied out to end the inning. The Sox took command in the bottom of the eighth. Pedroia grounded out but Bogaerts singled. Yankee killer David Ortiz then did what he did best, broke the backs of the Yankees and their fans by belting a 2 run bomb into the monster seats to give the Sox a 4-2 lead. Ramirez grounded out and Shaw struck out but the Sox had the lead.
It was up to Craig Kimbrel to nail down the save in the top of the ninth. Teizeira flied out, Rodriguez grounded out and McCann struck out to end the game. The Sox had won 4-2.
Hero of the Night is easy. David Ortiz blasted a 2 run home run off Bentances in the bottom of the eighth to propel the Sox to victory.
The Good:
Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with a run scored. Brock Holt was 1 for 3 with a run scored. Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 3 including the 2 run double that tied the game. Henry Owens didn't have his best stuff but battled his way through 6 innings. He gave up 2 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks while striking out 3. Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless 7th inning. Koji Uehara pitched a scoreless 8th inning to earn the win. Craig Kimbrel earned his 7th save with a scoreless 9th inning.
The Bad:
Mookie Betts and Dustin Pedroia were both 0 for 4
The Ugly:
Hanley Ramirez was just 1 for 4. Travis Shaw was just 1 for 4 but scored a run. Ryan Hanigan was 0 for 3 with a hat trick....but gunned down Ellsbury trying to steal to end the top of the third.
Final Thoughts:
If Yankee fans weren't already second guessing their season, tonight may have clinched it. The Sox bullpen outpitched theirs, and their Triple A call-up Owens matched their ace. It was a gutty win for the Sox that had been stymied through 6 but refused to give up. The Sox need to put some distance between themselves and the Yankees because when Chapman comes back, the Yankees bullpen may be very well unhittable. Then again, when Carson Smith comes back, so could the Sox. The Sox have the edge in offense and can match bullpens, so if the starters can step up, they could be the team to beat in the American League. Tomorrow night Rick Porcello (4-0) goes up against Michael "Pine Tar" Pineda at 7:10 PM.
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