The New York Yankees walked away from Friday evening with an essential win over the Boston Red Sox in the first game of a three-game series. Securing an 8-3 victory, the Yankees now sit just one game back for the top spot in the Wild Card, as the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays remain two games behind Boston and New York.
The Yankees punished starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi, who has had a solid season this year but couldn’t handle a potent batting order that has sparked recently. Eovaldi allowed seven hits and seven earned runs over 2.2 innings, quickly being relieved, but the damage had already been done.
Giancarlo Stanton recorded three hits and four RBIs, showcasing his power, specifically in the third inning when he launched a three-run blast to double the Yankees lead.
Starting second baseman Gleyber Torres also recorded three hits and two RBIs, singling to center in the first inning, driving in Aaron Judge. Torres also homered in the seventh inning to increase the Yankees’ lead to five.
Despite the win, skipper Aaron Boone remained focused on the goal at hand, winning out the rest of the season to guarantee themselves a playoff opportunity.
“They’re all important,” Boone said. “It’s one [win], though. We’ve got to shower this one off. We’ve got another big one tomorrow. We know it’ll be a challenge, but we look forward to it.”
Luckily for the Yanks, pitcher Gerrit Cole bounced back after a tough performance against the Indians last week, where he gave up ten hits and seven runs in just 5.2 innings. Cole lasted 6.0 innings against Boston, giving up five hits and three earned runs, including a homer to Rafael Devers in the sixth inning. If not for that one bad pitch, Cole would’ve walked away with confidence, but his performance was that of an ace, and the team desperately needed him to put together a strong outing in one of the most critical series of the year.
“He’s a great pitcher. He’s our ace. He’s a horse,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “There’s a very short list of people you’d rather hand the ball to.”
Boone also said there’s a good chance that starting pitcher Jameson Taillon returns to the team against Toronto next week, coining a significant addition in the middle of the team’s playoff push.