Boston right fielder Mookie Betts steps into the batters box in a game against Toronto at Fenway Park earlier this season. Betts had a huge game Friday night to help the Red Sox beat the Yankees. Photo courtesy of Chris Lessner
Mookie Betts homered in his first three plate appearances, and pitcher Andrew Cashner won for the first time in a Boston uniform Friday night as the Red Sox made it back to back over the New York Yankees with a 10-5 win at Fenway Park.
After torching New York starter Masahiro Tanaka for 12 earned runs and 12 hits in just over three innings on Thursday night, Boston got off to another fast start against Yankee starter James Paxton on Friday. Betts led off the game with a solo homer to left. For Betts he now holds the all time major league record for three homerun games by a leadoff hitter with four in his career. The Sox increased that lead later in the inning when JD Martinez cracked a two run homer to left center to make it 3-0. Betts and Martinez were at it again in the third inning. Betts led off the inning with his second solo blast. After Rafael Devers struck out, Xander Bogaerts doubled and then Martinez tripled him in for a 5-0 advantage. Betts made it three straight trips to the plate and three homers when he did it again in the fourth, this time a two run shot scoring Jackie Bradley Jr.
Luke Voit got New York (66-37) on the board with an RBI single in the sixth. Betts doubled in Michael Chavis in the bottom of the sixth, and Devers followed with a double to score Betts. Austin Romine singled in another Yankees run in the seventh, and DJ LeMahieu grounded into a double play that scored another in the frame to cut it to 9-3. Sam Travis capped off the Boston (58-47) scoring with an RBI double in the bottom of the seventh. Romine doubled in a run, and Didi Gregorius hit an RBI sacrifice fly in the ninth to end all the scoring.
Cashner (10-5) got his first win since his acquisition from Baltimore allowing three runs on 10 hits, with one walk and six strikeouts in 6.2 innings. Marcus Walden and Josh Taylor combined for 1.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Brandon Workman nailed down the win and ended a New York rally in the ninth on two runs that were charged to Heath Hembree. Betts was 4-5, three homeruns, a double, and four runs scored. He had 14 total bases, two shy of the club record set by Fred Lynn. Devers added three hits and an RBI, while Martinez had two hits and three knocked in. Mike Taunchman and Romine each had three hits to lead New York. Paxton (5-6) allowed seven runs on nine hits, with no walks and nine strikeouts in 4.0 innings. The Yankees have allowed 64 runs over their last six games, the most in a six game period in franchise history. The starting pitching has allowed 43 earned runs and 47 hits over 21.2 innings in this six game stretch. At 26 years old, Betts also became just the eighth player in history to have at least five career three homerun games. He has more three homer games than Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, and Ken Griffey Jr. combined.
Boston goes for the series win on Saturday at 4:05 p.m. A pair of left handers take to the rubber as Eduardo Rodriguez will spin it for the Red Sox, and CC Sabathia will step to the hill for the Yankees.
