The Boston Red Sox scored six runs off New York Yankees starter Gerrit Cole over the first four innings on Saturday afternoon including a second grandslam in a matter of days by Luis Urias, cruising to a 8-1 win at Yankee Stadium. The Sox have now won seven of the first eight games played between the two teams this season.
Boston (65-58) got all they needed in the top of the second inning. Adam Duvall and Jarren Duran both singled, and then Pablo Reyes walked to load the bases with no outs. After Connor Wong grounded into a forceout to erase Duvall at home plate, Urias took the first pitch from Cole over the fence in left centerfield for the grandslam and a 4-0 lead. In the fourth, Reyes led off with a single and stole second base and would score when Wong took a 3-2 offering and the eighth pitch of his at bat into the seats in right center. Meanwhile, Kutter Crawford had a solid start on the mound for the Red Sox allowing just a one out solo homerun to Aaron Judge in the last of the sixth inning. Boston added two more runs later in the game on a Reyes RBI double and a solo homerun by Rafael Devers.
Crawford (6-6) gave up one run on just the one hit with two walks and five strikeouts in 6.0 innings to pick up the victory. Jon Schreiber and Mauricio Llovera covered the final 3.0 innings allowing just one hit and striking out four. Reyes and Devers had three hits each, and Duvall had two. The 7-9 hitters Reyes, Wong, and Urias went a combined 5-11 with five runs scored and seven RBI. Urias, who also hit a grandslam in Thursday’s 10-7 loss at Washington, became the first player in franchise history to hit a grandslam in back to back games played since Jimmie Fox in 1940. He is the first #9 hitter for Boston to hit a GS against the Yankees since Luis Rivera back on 8/31/90. Judge and Greg Allen had the only two hits for New York (60-63), who has now lost seven straight games, with Cole (10-4) taking the defeat after being touched for six runs on seven hits in 4.0 innings. The Red Sox go for the sweep on Sunday afternoon at 1:35. The Sox will go with a bullpen game with righthander Josh Winckowski (3-1, 3.20 ERA) announced as the opener, and Nick Pivetta (8-6, 4.34) expected to follow and eat up a bulk of the innings. New York counters with righty Clarke Schmidt (8-7, 4.76).
Story by Chris Lessner
