The Yankees took Game 1 of the split doubleheader against the Red Sox, 5-3, on Tuesday afternoon.
Takeaways from the game
1) Andrew Velazquez, the Bronx native, got the Yanks on the scoreboard first with a clutch two-run single with the bases loaded in the bottom of the second inning to make it 2-0. His Cinderella story continues.
2) Jordan Montgomery came off the COVID-19 IL and made his first start, and he probably wanted two pitches back. The first was an 0-2 fastball with runners on for Xander Bogaerts. No reason that pitch needs to be thrown, as Bogaerts tied the game up on a single. Also, a 3-2 cutter right there for Christian Vazquez to launch for a homer gave the Sox the lead, 3-2, in the top of the fifth inning.
3) But the Yankees, as they have recently, weren’t going quietly. After the Sox walked a few batters on, the bases were loaded for a Luke Voit bloop, two-run single that gave the lead back to the pinstripes. Giancarlo Stanton, pinch hitting, roped a 3-0 single to center to provide some breathing room at 5-3.
4) Brett Gardner might have been 0-for-2 in this one, but he continues to put together pesky at-bats. He worked two more walks and got the party started in the fifth inning when Sox pitchers couldn’t find the zone. Having him sandwiched between DJ LeMahieu and Aaron Judge has paid dividends.
5) Jonathan Davis had a chance to blow the game open in the sixth with the bases loaded, but he struck out to end the frame.
6) Jonathan Loaisiga was asked to get six outs for the save in this one and he made things very interesting. After an eight-pitch, 1-2-3 sixth inning, he found the bases loaded with no outs in the seventh. But he worked his way through it by getting Travis Shaw to fly out and striking out Kike Hernandez and Hunter Renfroe to save himself.
Highlights
What’s Next
The Yanks get a little bit of rest before Luis Gil and Nathan Eovaldi take the mound in Game 2 of the split doubleheader.