Alex Verdugo hit a two out, two-run walkoff single in the bottom of the 10th inning Saturday night to lift the Boston Red Sox to a come from behind 6-5 win over the New York Yankees at Fenway Park. The victory snaps a four game losing streak for Boston.
Bobby Dalbec put Boston ahead first 1-0 in the second inning with an RBI single to centerfield against New York starter Jordan Montgomery. The score stayed the same until the top of the fifth when Aaron Hicks led off the frame with a solo homerun to right center off Kutter Crawford to make it 1-1. The Yankees took their first lead of the night in the sixth against Red Sox reliever Ryan Brasier. Gleyber Torres would lead off with a single, Anthony Rizzo followed with an RBI double, and then with one out Josh Donaldson singled in Rizzo for a 3-1 advantage. Boston would claw their way back though. Rob Refsnyder led off the last half of the sixth with a solo homerun to left centerfield, and then in the bottom of the eighth inning after there were two outs and nobody on base JD Martinez would double and Xander Bogaerts drew a walk against New York closer Clay Holmes to put two runners on. Verdugo would come through on an 0-2 pitch with an opposite field single to left field to score pinch runner Jeter Downs to tie it 3-3. The game went to extras, and the visiting Yanks would take their two run lead back in top half of the 10th. Aaron Judge would double off Jake Diekman to score Jose Trevino, who started the inning at second base with the extra inning rule. With one out, Rizzo doubled in Judge making it 5-3 pinstrippers. The Red Sox avoided more trouble when Rizzo was thrown out by Christian Vazquez trying to steal third base, and Giancarlos Stanton struckout swinging. With Jarren Duran the runner at second to start the last half of the 10th against Yankees reliever Wandy Peralta, Refsnyder singled to put runners on the corners with no outs. With one out, Downs slapped a perfectly placed single into short right field scoring Duran and moving Refsnyder up to second base. It was the first MLB hit and first RBI for Downs. Bogaerts was up next, and on a ball hit to Donaldson at third that could of been a game ending doubleplay the third baseman couldn’t handle it cleanly but was still able to pick it up and throw out Bogaerts at first with the tying run moving to third and the winning run moving up to second. Verdugo made them pay by hitting a hard line drive in front of right fielder Joey Gallo on a 2-0 pitch to score Refsnyder and Downs and set off a celebration.
Diekman (4-0) despite giving up two runs in the 10th inning got the pitching win. Crawford went 5.0 innings allowing one run on four hits with two walks and six strikeouts. Matt Strahm got the final two outs in the sixth after the struggle by Brasier, while John Schreiber (1.0 inning) and Tanner Houck (2.0 innings) pitched scoreless and hitless relief through the seventh, eighth, and ninth. Verdugo had three hits and three huge RBI, as Boston goes to 46-39 on the season. Refsnyder and Bogaerts also had two hits a piece. Rafael Devers did not play and will not play Sunday night in the finale of the four game series due to a sore lower back. Downs, who was already listed in the starting lineup at Triple A Worcester, got the callup late arriving at Fenway Park 30 minutes before first pitch and made the best of it in the 10th with the hit, RBI, and scoring the game winning run. Holmes and Peralta both were charged with a blown save in the loss for New York, with Peralta (2-2) also tagged with the pitching defeat. Judge, Rizzo, and Matt Carpenter had two hits each. The Red Sox will try for a split in the series Sunday at 7:08 p.m. sending Nick Pivetta (8-6, 3.68) to the mound. The Yankees counter with Jameson Taillon (9-2, 3.63). New York still holds the best record in the majors at 61-24.
