The second half of the MLB season finally began on Friday night. After six positive COVID-19 tests for the Yankees postponed the game Thursday night, Eduardo Rodriguez shut down New York over 5.2 innings pitched and Christian Arroyo and JD Martinez both homered leading the Boston Red Sox to a 4-0 win at Yankee Stadium. Boston has now won all seven games over New York this season, eight straight against the Bronx Bombers overall.
A Hunter Renfoe groundout opened the scoring in the top of the second, allowing Xander Bogaerts to come across the plate. With two outs, Arroyo hit a two-run homerun to center field off New York starter Jordan Montgomery and it was 3-0 Boston. Rodriguez (7-5) had his best start of the season allowing no runs on two hits with two walks and eight strikeouts before being lifted with two outs in the sixth. Martinez padded the lead with a solo homer with two outs in the eighth inning, his 19th of the year. The positive COVID-19 tests has sidelined Yankee players Aaron Judge, Gio Urshela, Kyle Hagashioka, Jonathan Loaisiga, Nestor Cortes Jr., and Wandy Peralta. Those players could all miss up to 10 days.
Arroyo had two hits for Boston (56-36), while New York (46-44) was held to three hits on the night as a team. Hirokazu Sawumara pitched 1/3 of an inning out of the bullpen, while Tanner Houck made his 2021 debut with his first save going 3.0 innings allowing no runs on one hit with three strikeouts. Montgomery (3-5) was tagged with the loss allowing three runs on three hits with two walks and four strikeouts in 6.0 innings. Game two of the now three game series is scheduled for 7:15 Saturday night. The Red Sox send RHP Nathan Eovaldi (9-5, 3.66 ERA) to the mound, as the Yankees counter with RHP Gerrit Cole (9-4, 2.68). The Thursday postponement is now part of a day-night doubleheader at Yankee Stadium on August 17.
