Rafael Devers hit two homeruns and drove in five runs Friday night, as the Boston Red Sox knocked New York Yankees ace Gerit Cole out of the game after five innings and took a 6-2 victory at Fenway Park.
New York struck first when Brett Gardner doubled in a run in the top of the second inning to make it 1-0. On the play, Boston starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez left the game due to an undisclosed injury that was later said to be effects from a migraine. Cole held the Sox down until the fifth inning. With one out, Kike Hernandez singled high off the green monster in left and Jarren Duran followed with a ground rule double that bounced into the stands in right center field. Xander Bogaerts lofted a sacrifice fly to right to score Hernandez, and then Devers took a 1-1 pitch from Cole for the game winner homering into the monster seats in left center. The same trio was at it again in the seventh when Hernandez and Duran singled with one out, and then with two outs Devers capped off his big night with a three-run homer into the center field bleachers to make it 6-1. It was also the 100th career longball for Devers at only 24 years of age. Phillips Valdez fresh up from the minor leagues was phenomenal out of the bullpen replacing Rodriguez and keeping Boston in the game, firing 3.0 innings allowing no runs on one hit with one walk and seven strikeouts. The Red Sox are now 9-2 this season against the Yankees.
Yacksel Rios (3-0) got credited with the win. Boston (60-38) also used Garrett Whitlock, Darwinzon Hernandez, and Brandon Workman. Whitlock got his 10th hold and leads the majors in appearances without any runs allowed with 18. Hernandez, Duran, and Devers each had two hits. Cole (10-5) was charged with the defeat for New York allowing three runs on six hits with two walks and eight strikeouts in 5.0 innings. The right hander now has two of his five losses against the Sox this season. The Yankees drop to 50-46, now nine games behind the Red Sox for first place in the A.L. East. Boston will guarantee themselves a win of the season series between the clubs with a victory in game three on Saturday at 4:05 sending RHP Nathan Eovaldi (9-5, 3.57 ERA) to the mound. New York counters with RHP Jameson Taillon (5-4, 4.60).
