The Yankees scored seven runs in the first two innings, including home runs from Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Anthony Volpe,and got three hits from Aaron Judge in a 9-6 win over the Boston Red Sox on Friday night in The Bronx.
New York scored eight of its nine runs with two outs and had the chances for a lot more, leaving 10 runners on base and going 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position through seven frames. And that left the door open for Boston to chisel a seven-run deficit down to three entering the eighth. But the bullpen combined to get the final six outs on 24 pitches, allowing just two base runners.
The Yankees improved to 39-23 on the year and dropped the Red Sox to 30-35.
Here are the takeaways...
- Ahead of the game, manager Aaron Boone said the key for his batters was to let Red Sox Starter Walker Buehler work the edges, but “get him on the plate and hit our pitches.”
The Yanks did that in the first as Judge laced a hustle double into the left-center gap (113.2 mph off the bat) to put runners at second and third after Trent Grisham’s leadoff walk. Cody Bellinger smashed a fastball (103.7 mph) but right at Boston's shortstop for the first out, before Paul Goldschmidt was caught looking on a ball that looked just off the outside corner.
Chisholm Jr. cashed in, smoking a low knuckle curve 417 feet to center for a three-run homer. The 105.8 mph shot hit the top of the wall and kicked over. After Jasson Dominguez smacked a single (104 mph) to right, Volpe got a 2-1 fastball out over the plate and barreled it (101.8 mph) for a 369-foot opposite-field blast for a 5-0 first-inning advantage.
- After Judge cracked a one-out single in the second, Goldschmidt reached on a two-out error on a throw from third baseman Marcelo Mayer, the Red Sox's 56th defensive miscue through 65 games. Chisholm notched his fourth two-out RBI of the game by muscling a jam shot over the first baseman's head for a single.
After Dominguez walked to load the bases, Volpe was hit on the left elbow on a 2-2 pitch to bring home another run. The shortstop got a long look from the training staff, and stayed in the game to run. (But he was lifted for the top of the fourth with a left elbow contusion.) Austin Wells’ bat shattered with a first-pitch slider off his hands, and the soft pop-up was grabbed by a charging, tumbling Trevor Story from short to leave ‘em loaded.
Bueheler lasted just six outs, allowing seven hits, two walks, and a HBP, keeping the damage to just seven runs (five earned) by stranding four on base and holding the Yanks to 2-for-6 with RISP.
- Judge notched his third hit of the night with a two-out single, scoring Wells from second. A better throw from Jarren Duran would have had the runner, but the throw hit Wells in the back, allowing Judge to grab his 51st RBI of the year.
- Will Warren got shelled early in his last start, allowing seven runs and recording just four outs. Friday was different: After a 25-minute rain delay pushed back the start, the right-hander wasted no time with a 12-pitch 1-2-3 first with two strikeouts. “He’s a confident kid and in a good spot,” Boone said ahead of the game. “He’s had his bumps in the road along the way, a lot of those early and since then has been very good until his last one. But I expect him to go out and get after it, and certainly has the stuff to be successful.”
The righty did just that, allowing a one-out single in the second, but was just mowing down Red Sox, getting nine of the first 10 he faced with five strikeouts on just 37 pitches. Mayer cranked a 1-1 down the middle fastball for a 410-foot shot to right to start the fifth. And trouble found him for the first time in the sixth in the form of a leadoff triple and a walk, a sac fly brought in a run, and that's when the righty lost his feel, walking the next two batters to load the bases.
And that ended the rookie's night for lefty Brent Headrick. But Red Sox manager Alex Cora countered with Romy Gonzalez, and the right pinch-hitter lined a single to left to score two. And the Sox jumped on Bellinger to put runners at second and third.
But Headrick got Story and pinch-hitter Rob Refsnyder swinging to end the threat.
Warren’s final line: 5.1 innings, four runs, three hits, four walks on 84 pitches (51 strikes).
- Headrick got a third strikeout to start the seventh, but plunked Duran and left a fastball up in the zone to Rafael Devers, who clobbered it 419 feet to right, cutting the Yanks’ lead to 9-6.
Fernando Cruz came in and did what he's done all year: struck out the next two, getting three strikes looking and three swinging. Jonathan Loáisiga got the eighth and surrendered a leadoff ground-rule double, but stranded the runner. Devin Williams opened the ninth with a groundout before hitting Duran on a 3-0 pitch. But shut the door with a flyout and a strikeout for his seventh save of the year.
- Goldschmidt entered Friday night’s game in a 2-for-21 funk, and that continued as he went hitless his first three times up before he got a Yankee Stadium special with a 346-foot solo shot to right to start the bottom of the sixth. Goldschmidt had a big chance with runners on second and third and two out in the seventh, but went down with a half-swing to strand two.
He finished the day 1-for-5 with two strikeouts and went 0-for-4 with RISP.
- Judge pumped his average back to .397 with the 3-for-5 night with an RBI and a strikeout swinging.
- Wells went 2-for-4, Dominguez 1-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts, and DJ LeMahieu 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Bellinger, who homered and had two hits on Thursday, yanked a double to the corner in the fifth to finish 1-for-5 with a strikeout.
- Boone said before the game he liked the at-bats from Grisham despite him not seeing many results at the plate of late, entering Friday, 1-for-18 over his last five games. He nabbed a single up the middle in his fifth time up. He finished 1-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Volpe’s first-inning blast would have been a homer in just one other permanent MLB stadium (Cincinnati). He finished 1-for-1 with three RBI before he was replaced by Oswald Peraza, who went 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout.
Game MVP: Jazz Chisholm Jr.
In his fourth game back from the IL, Chisholm went 3-for-5 with four RBI. He added two steals and one caught stealing.
Highlights
What's next
The two rivals renew their hostilities on Saturday night with a 7:35 p.m. start.
A battle of southpaw starters will see Ryan Yarbrough (2.83 ERA, 0.922 WHIP over 41.1 innings) get the ball for the home team against Garrett Crochet (1.98 ERA, 1.061 WHIP over 82 innings).
