The New York Yankees revived the age-old Yankees Red Sox rivalry tonight at Yankee Stadium with the first game of a 3 game set in the Bronx. This is the first time the two teams have met this season. Compared to the projections early in the season, they have been turned on their heads. The Red Sox are playing well, occupying first place in the East for much of the season, and the powerful Yankee lineup has been languid and is 4.5 games out of first place. The Yankees tonight hoped to right the ship by beating the Sox, but it was not to be had and the Red Sox took game one 5-2.
Michael King took the mound for the Yankees and former Yankee Nathan Eovaldi for the Red Sox in what was sure to be an exciting series. In the first inning, King faced Danny Santan, and he flew out to Urshela at third. Alex Verdugo singled to left. JD Martinez hit it hard to directly to short. Xander Bogaerts chopped to the right side for a single. Rafael Devers’s number one in extra-base hits this season hit a long home run into the bleacher giving the Red Sox the three-run lead. Hunter Renfroe went down looking, but the Sox went ahead by three runs. At the bottom, DJ LeMahieu singled to center. Giancarlo Stanton singled, moving LeMahieu to second. Aaron Judge hit into a double play that hasn’t been a stranger to the Yankees this year. Gio Urshela flew out to center, leaving the Yankees empty-handed. Red Sox 3 New York Yankees 0.
Marwin Gonzalez led off the second by flying out to Aaron judge. Christian Vazquez went down looking. Christian Arroyo singled up the middle. Santana, who got his first home run yesterday, ground out to first. Gleyber Torres led off the bottom by grounding out first. Rougie Odor struck out. Clint Frazier struck out swinging to end the inning. Sox 3 Yankees 0.
In the third inning, Verdugo led off by hitting directly to Urshela. Martinez doubled on an off-center throw by Frazier. Bogaerts flew out to center with Martinez going to third. Devers hit back to King to end the half. At the bottom, Gary Sanchez led off and striking out. Brett Gardner hit sharply to first. LeMahieu struck out, giving Eovaldi an easy inning. Red Sox Yankees 0.
Renfroe led off the fourth, striking out. Gonzalez struck out. Arroyo struck for King’s strikeout of the side. Giancarlo Stanton led off the bottom of the fourth, and he ground out to short Judge singled to center. Urshela struck out. Torres singled down the left-field line. With two outs and two on, Odor popped out to the infield ending the inning and stranding another two Yankees. Red Sox 3 Yankees 0.
Christian Arroyo led off the fifth by lining out. Santana flew out to Frazier. Verdugo grounded out for King’s second 1-2-3 inning in a row. The bottom was led off by Clint Frazier, who flew out sharply to right field. Sanchez struck out. Gardner struck out for another scoreless inning for the Yankees. Red Sox 3 Yankees 0.
The six-inning with led off by Martinez struck out, Bogaerts singled ending Michael King’s night. He was replaced by Lucas Luetage, facing Devers, who flew out to center for the second out. Renfroe got a base hit in front of Frazier in left field. Gonzalez got a two-run double down the left-field line for the Red Sox 5 run advantage. Vazquez flew out to Judge in right, but the Red Sox tacked on two more runs. LeMahieu led off the bottom by singling to center. Stanton hit into a double play. Judge hit a home run to the short porch at the Stadium. Urshela had a single to center. Torres singled to left, moving Urshela to second. Odor singled, Urshela scored, and Torres moved to third. Frazier flew out to center, but the Yankees got two runs in the inning. Red Sox 5 New York Yankees 2.
The seventh inning was led off by Arroyo, who grounded out Santana struck out. Verdugo had a blistering line drive directly at Lemahieu for the final out. Gary Sanchez led off the bottom of the inning by facing Hirokazu Sawamura; he went down on strikes. Gardner struck out for the second out of the inning. LeMahieu struck out the side. Red Sox 5 Yankees 2.
JD Martinez led off the eighth popped out on the Nestor Cores Jr. pitch. Bogaerts went down on str ikes. Devers, who homered in the first, struck out to end the half. Giancarlo Stanton led off the Yankees, and he walked. Judge struck out. Urahela ground out. At the top of the ninth, the Sox failed to score. At the bottom with last licks in the ninth for the Yankees. Odor struck out. Frazier struck out. Gary Sanchez struck out to end the game for the Red Sox, with Barnes closing it with one out left.
The final score was the Boston Red Sox 5 and the New York Yankees 2. The winning pitcher was Nathan Eovaldi, and the loser was Michael King. The save went to Matt Barnes.