Talk about an up and down game for the Boston Red Sox. For four innings it looked like the New York Yankees were going to take three of four from the Sox at Fenway. The Yankees jumped out to a 6-3 lead on Nick Pivetta and knocked him out in the top of the fourth inning. Then the wheels fell off as the Sox bullpen led by Hiro Sawamura (1-1, 2.78 ERA) blanked the Yankees the rest of the way. Yankees starter Jameson Taillon got lit up for three home runs including the 2 run game tying shot by JD Martinez in the fifth. The Yankees played hot potato in the bottom of the sixth to put the Sox on top and Trevor Story hit a 3 run bases clearing double off Aroldis Chapman to put the Sox up for good in the seventh. Contributions from Worcester Sox Jeter Downs, Kaleb Ort and Rob Refsnyder all aided to the 11-6 victory over the Yankees at Fenway Park.
The Yankees wasted no time pounding Pivetta in the top of the first inning although Dj LeMahieu took strike three to start. Aaron Judge effortlessly got a base hit to center but Anthony Rizzo popped up to third. Giancarlo Stanton hit a home run all the way to Venus to put the Yankees up just four batters into the game. Josh Donaldson struck out swinging to end the inning with the Yankees up 2-0.
The Sox failed to respond against Taillon in the bottom of the first as Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. Christian Vazquez grounded back to the mound and JD Martinez hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning.
The Yankees poured it on in the top of the second as Matt Carpenter and Aaron Hicks drew back to back walks to start. Jose Trevino ripped a base hit to left to score Carpenter but was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double. Isiah Kiner laughed as he singled up the middle to score Hicks but was forced at second by LeMahieu. Judge took strike three to end the inning with the Yankees up 4-0.
Somehow the Sox rallied in the bottom of the second although Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging to start. Alex Verdugo walked but Trevor Story forced him at second. Franchy Cordero woke up the crowd with a two run blast to dead center to cut the lead in half. Jackie Bradley Jr lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox down 4-2.
The Yankees struck again in the top of the third as Rizzo effortlessly doubled to center to start. Stanton hit an absolute rocket but right to Bogaerts and Donaldson went down hacking. Carpenter then hit a home run all the way to Nebraska to put the Yankees up big. Hicks took strike three to end the inning with Yankee fans gladhanding each other thinking the game was over with the Yankees up 6-2.
The Sox didn't quit yet in the bottom of the third although Bobby Dalbec flied out to right to start. Duran lined out to center but Vazquez pounded his fifth home run of the season to cut the lead in half. Martinez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 6-3.
The Yankees finished off Pivetta in the top of the fourth as Trevino beat out a roller to third to start. Kiner flied out to right but LeMahieu laughed as he ripped a base hit up the middle. Sox manager Alex Cora had no choice but to yank Pivetta before it got any worse. After getting lit up by Tampa, Pivetta stunk again by allowing 6 runs in just 3 1/3 innings. Kaleb Ort made his season debut against the franchise that let him go in the Rule 5 draft by getting Judge to fly out to right. Rizzo popped up to third to end the inning.
Bogaerts grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fourth but Verdugo smacked a base hit to center. Story flied out to center but Cordero struck out swinging to end the inning.
Stanton got a base hit to center to start the top of the fifth but Donaldson popped up to first. Carpenter hit a little roller up the first base side and Vazquez decided to dive on the ball and swim on it for an error. With the game on the line, Ort got Hicks to bang into a double play to end the inning. Great work by Ort to keep the Sox in the game in his ML debut.
The Sox rallied in the bottom of the fifth as JBJ got a base hit to right to start. JBJ moved to second on the Dalbec squibber to Trevino and to third on the Duran grounder to the mound. Vazquez doubled to center to score JBJ and Martinez smashed his ninth home run of the season to tie the game just like that. Bogaerts got a base hit to right but Verdugo flied out to right to end the inning with the game tied 6-6.
Hiro Sawamura came in to pitch the top of the sixth inning and Trevino took strike three to start. Kiner lined out to right and LeMahoeu flied out to center to end the inning. Yankees manager Aaron Boone sent in returning closer Aroldis Chapman to pitch the bottom of the seventh and the Sox rallied. LeMahieu misplayed a pop-up from Story for a "single" and Cordero drew a walk. Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for JBJ and walked to load the bases with nobody out, but Dalbec struck out swinging. Jeter Downs pinch hit for Duran but hit a routine pop up to shallow center....AND LEMAHIEU DROPPED IT! Story scored to put the Sox ahead but Refsnyder was forced at second on the play. Vazquez struck out swinging to end the inning but the Sox had the lead 7-6.
Sawamura returned for the top of the seventh and Judge grounded out to third to start. Rizzo grounded out to first and Stanton took a questionable strike three to end the inning. Yankees manager Aaron Boone ran out of the dugout with a sickle while screaming like a banshee. Home plate umpire Trupp Gibson ejected the insane manager as he was escorted out of Fenway by armed security.
Miguel Castro came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and the Yankees fell apart. Kiner threw a routine grounder by Martinez away before Bogaerts drew a walk. Verdugo got a base hit to right to load the bases with nobody out and this time Story cleared them with a double off the top of the centerfield wall That was it for Castro as Albert Abreu came in to pitch. Cordero dropped down a bunt and Abreu threw the ball away for another error to score Story with the big insurance run. Refsnyder took strike three, Dalbec forced Cordero at second and Downs went down hacking to end the inning with the Sox ahead 11-6.
Matt Strahm came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Donaldson took strike three to start. Carpenter got a base hit to center but Hicks flied out to left. Trevino popped up to third to send the inning. Vazquez grounded out to short to start the bottom of the eighth and Martinez grounded out to third. Bogaerts got a base hit up the middle but Verdugo grounded out to second to end the inning.
Ryan Brasier came in to close out the top of the ninth and Kiner grounded out to third to start. LeMahieu singled to right but Judge banged into a double play to end the game. The Sox had won it 11-6.
Hero of The Night is Trevor Story. He started the rally in the sixth and blew the game open in the seventh with a 3 run double
The Good:
Christian Vazquez was 2 for 5 with 2 total rbis, 2 total runs scored and a home run.
Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.
Alex Verdugo was 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.
Franchy Cordero was 1 for 2 with a walk including a 2 run home run.
Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 2 with a run scored.
Kaleb Ort tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
Hiro Sawamura got the win with 2 scoreless innings.
Matt Strahm pitched a scoreless eighth inning.
Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless ninth inning.
The Bad:
Jarren Duran was 0 for 3.
Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.
Nick Pivetta got lit up for 6 runs in just 3 1/3 innings. He allowed 8 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5.
The Ugly:
Jeter Downs was 0 for 1 with a strikeout but drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth.
JD Martinez was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but the one hit was a 2 run home run and scored two total runs.
Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 1 with a strikeout but drew a walk.
Final Thoughts:
The Sox needed to make a statement by beating the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees at Fenway Park but instead went 3-4. There's a big asterisk to that as the Sox are down 4 of 5 starters and the last man standing got lit up by both teams. Still, help is on the way with Chris Sale coming back on Tuesday and Nathan Eovaldi due to return next week as well. As for this game, that was a combination of Red Sox grit and a collapse by the Yankees. Besides the Story double and Martinez home run, most of the Sox offense was due to Yankees stupidity. The concerning factor was Pivetta getting lit up. The Sox walked into the Yankees series starting three rookies but Pivetta getting clobbered doesn't look good moving forward. You can look at this four game series with pessimism or optimism. Pessimists can look at the Sox losing 4 of 7 at home to the Rays and Yankees with Pivetta getting manhandled twice plus the Sox inability to hit in the clutch. Optimists can say the Sox took three games out of 7 with basically one opening day starting pitcher and Rafael Devers hurt for most of the Yankees series. The injury to Devers isn't severe and fresh troops are on their way back, its just a question of how long the Sox can hang on during this death march through the AL East. The good news was the Sox manhandled Nestor Cortes, Gerritt Cole, Jameson Taillon, Wandy Peralta and scored on Clay Holmes. If the Sox were to get everyone back healthy, they'll have a better grasp of what they need to do with the trade deadline and the all-star break coming. The Toronto Blue Jays and Rays both lost today so the Sox gained ground for the second day in a row. The win improved the Sox to 47-39, 1.5 games ahead of the Rays for the first wild card. The Sox now hit the road for the final two series before the all-star break and Tampa is up first. Tomorrow night Brayan Bello looks to rebound from his rough debut against Captain TBD of Tampa Bay. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Tropicana Field.
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