Nathan Eovaldi was strong on the mound, and Rafael Devers hit a long first inning homerun that ended up being the game winner as the Boston Red Sox opened up a three game series at Yankee Stadium with a 5-2 win over the New York Yankees Friday night. It was the first time the two teams have met this season, and with a crowd of 18,040 it was the first time in 637 days they have gotten together with fans in attendance.
In the top of the first, Alex Verdugo singled with one out. JD Martinez then lined out to shortstop, but Xander Bogaerts kept it alive with an opposite field single to right field. Devers then took an 0-2 pitch deep into the second deck in right for a three-run homer and a 3-0 lead, and that is all Boston would need. They would add on in the sixth with one out when Bogaerts singled. After Devers lined out, Hunter Renfoe again kept an inning alive with a single to left. Marwin Gonzalez would make it 5-0 with a double down the left field line to score Bogaerts and Renfoe. New York got on the board in the bottom half of the sixth when Aaron Judge hit an opposite field two out solo homer to right. The Yankees got two more hits and would add another run on an error by Gonzalez. The Red Sox bullpen did the rest after the strong start from Eovaldi to get their first win at Yankee Stadium since June 2, 2019.
Eovaldi (7-2) allowed two runs (one earned) on eight hits with no walks and seven strikeouts in 6.0 innings. Hirokazu Sawumara got his fourth hold of the season with 2.0 scoreless frames allowing no hits with one walk and five strikeouts. Matt Barnes struck out the side in the ninth for his 13th save. Bogaerts and Gonzalez had two hits each, as Boston (34-23) has won two in a row after a three game losing streak. Michael King (0-3), the former Boston College Eagle, took the loss allowing four runs on six hits with no walks and five strikeouts over 5.1 innings. DJ LeMahieu, Judge, and Gleyber Torres each had two hits for New York as they fall to 31-27. Game two is a 7:15 p.m. start Saturday night. Boston sends LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (5-4, 5.64 ERA) to the bump to try to break his four game losing streak, while New York counters with Jameson Tallion (1-4, 5.10).
