New York Yankees 4, Boston Red Sox 1
BOSTON — Gleyber Torres played a pivotal role in the Yankees’ doubleheader sweep at Fenway Park, marking their first since 2006. His performance led New York to victories of 3-2 and 4-1 over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, earning manager Aaron Boone his 500th career win.
In the first game of the day-night doubleheader, Torres came through with a clutch go-ahead, two-run single in the sixth inning and initiated a game-ending double play with the bases loaded. Later, in the night game, Torres contributed by scoring the decisive run on a bases-loaded grounder in the sixth inning and sealed the victory with an RBI single in the ninth.
New York came into the matchup with a 1-8 record against the Red Sox this year and hadn’t accomplished a doubleheader sweep at Fenway Park since August 18, 2006. The Yankees, who had been sitting in fifth place in the AL East since August 9, leveled the playing field by reaching a 73-72 record, tying with Boston.
With this achievement, Boone bolstered his managerial record to 500-353 over six seasons.
In the night game, Carlos Rodón (3-5) showcased his prowess by recording nine strikeouts across five innings while surrendering just one run and four hits. Zach McAllister, a 35-year-old right-handed pitcher, made his first major league appearance since 2018 with Detroit and gave up only one hit in a scoreless sixth inning. Matt Bowman, a 32-year-old right-hander, made a successful return to the big leagues by pitching a one-hit eighth inning, marking his first MLB outing since 2019 with Cincinnati.
Nick Ramirez closed out the game with a flawless ninth inning, securing his inaugural major league save.
Boston’s recent performance has been subpar, losing six of their last seven games, which has taken a toll on their wild card aspirations. The Red Sox now find themselves seven games behind in the race for the final AL playoff spot, with both Toronto and Seattle positioned ahead of them.
Kutter Crawford, the Red Sox starter, exhibited a strong outing, allowing just one run and two hits while notching seven strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings.
Ceddanne Rafaela kicked off the game with a powerful hit that sailed over the Green Monster, marking his inaugural home run in the big leagues.
The score was leveled when Estevan Florial delivered an RBI single in the fifth inning, and Jake Bauer added to the lead with a run-scoring forceout in the sixth after Josh Winckowski (3-2) filled the bases with two walks and a single.
In the ninth inning, New York extended its lead with a two-run surge. Notably, a video review led to a bases-loaded catcher’s interference call being awarded to Connor Wong during the inning.
Following a rainout that postponed the series opener, the Yankees stepped onto the field for the first game donning caps as a tribute to the first responders who bravely served during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The opening game recorded an announced paid attendance of just 30,029, marking the lowest attendance figure for a Red Sox-Yankees game at Fenway Park since May 27, 1999, excluding attendance restrictions imposed during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Game 2 fared only slightly better, with 30,392 attendees.
Jhony Brito (7-7) delivered an impressive performance, holding the opposition to just three hits over 2 1/3 innings without allowing any runs. However, Clay Holmes encountered some trouble in the ninth inning, walking the bases loaded with only one out. In a crucial moment, Alex Verdugo made contact with the first-pitch sinker, sending it towards Torres at second base. Torres promptly fielded the ball and executed a quick throw to shortstop Anthony Volpe to secure a forceout at second base. With LeMahieu’s excellent stretch at first base, the play resulted in Holmes securing his 19th save out of 22 chances.
Yankees’ starting pitcher Randy Vásquez surrendered two runs on three hits over 3 2/3 innings.
On the other side, Boston’s starter Nick Pivetta (9-9) put on a striking performance with 10 strikeouts but allowed three runs on four hits across 5 1/3 innings.
Rafael Devers made a significant impact by homering on the very first pitch, connecting with a cutter in the fourth inning. His blast landed in the Yankees’ bullpen in right-center, marking his 30th home run of the season and his 25th career home run against the Yankees.
The Yankees began their comeback from a 2-0 deficit with DJ LeMahieu’s RBI double in the sixth inning.
UP NEXT
For the Yankees, right-handed pitcher Clarke Schmidt (9-8, 4.54 ERA), who was initially scheduled to start the opener on Monday, will now take the mound for his 29th start on Wednesday. Impressively, he has limited opponents to three or fewer runs in 18 of his last 19 starts.
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