The Yankees fought back for a huge 5-3 win over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday night.
Here are the key takeaways …
– Unlike Friday night when the Yankees scored seven runs in the first three innings, the bats were quieter in the first three frames on Saturday against Nick Pivetta, as he struck out three through his first three innings of work while allowing just one hit.
Yankees starter Nestor Cortes Jr. also got off to a strong start with two scoreless innings, but the Sox broke onto the scoreboard first in the bottom of the third, as Kevin Plawecki launched a solo homer off the light tower above the Green Monster to make it a 1-0 Boston lead.
– The Red Sox nearly extended their lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the fifth, as Bobby Dalbec lifted a deep fly ball to right. The ball probably would have cleared the low fence in right, but Aaron Judge was able to make the catch at the wall, keeping it a 1-0 lead.
Cortes didn’t last much longer than that, though, as Aaron Boone pulled him from the game with two on and one out in the fifth. Michael King entered out of the pen and allowed an infield single to Jose Iglesias to load the bases, followed by a wild pitch to force in Boston’s second run. To King’s credit, he buckled down and got two huge strikeouts to get out of the inning.
Cortes was charged with two earned runs on four hits over 4.1 innings, striking out four without a walk.
– The Bombers got on the board in the sixth, as Gio Urshela singled and Brett Gardner doubled to put two men in scoring position with one out. That chased Pivetta from the game, and Hansel Robles came in and uncorked a wild pitch to bring in Urshela and make it a 2-1 game. Gardner was later cut down at home trying to score on a grounder to third, as Boston maintained their lead.
– With Boston leading 2-1 in the seventh, the Yankees turned to Luis Severino in a high-leverage spot. He walked one batter in seventh, but he also got a pair of strikeouts, including Kike Hernandez to end the inning. Severino ended up going 2.0 innings, striking out four without allowing a run.
– With the game still 2-1 in the eighth, the Yankees built a two-out rally, starting with a Gardner walk. The speedy outfielder stole second base, and Judge worked a walk on a 3-2 pitch to put two on with two out. After Darwinzon Hernandez was called on out of the pen, he hit Anthony Rizzo with a 3-1 pitch to load the bases.
Giancarlo Stanton then delivered one of his biggest hits as a Yankee, absolutely demolishing a first-pitch fastball out of the stadium to left for a grand slam, putting the Yankees up 5-2. Measured at 114 mph off the bat, travelling 452 feet, Stanton’s no-doubter was his 33rd homer of the season.
– With a three-run lead, the Yankees turned the ball to Aroldis Chapman for the ninth. He allowed a solo home run to Dalbec to make it a two-run game. He then hit Plawecki on his back foot to bring the tying run to the plate, but he was able to get the final two outs to end the game.
With the win, the Yankees are now tied with the Sox for the top AL Wild Card spot.
Highlights
What’s next
The Yankees and Red Sox close out their series on Sunday night at 7:08 p.m.
Jordan Montgomery will look to continue his strong second half against fellow lefty Eduardo Rodriguez.