Boston shortstop Xander Bogaerts, shown here in a game against the LA Dodgers at Fenway Park, led the hit parade on Friday night as the Red Sox clobbered the NY Yankees. Photo courtesy of Delaney Gardner
Every Boston starter had at least one hit, led by four from Xander Bogaerts in a 23 hit attack Friday night as the Red Sox humiliated the New York Yankees 19-3 in the first of a four game series at Fenway Park.
Boston (57-47) used a seven hit and seven run bottom of the first and cruised to just their second win in eight games so far this season against their rivals. Bogaerts hit a three run homer to left over the monster before the first out was even recorded. The homer traveled 451 feet, the longest homerun on record for the shortstop. Jackie Bradley Jr. and Mookie Betts added two run doubles off New York starter Masahiro Tanaka in that first inning. The Yanks responded with two runs in the top of the second on a Gleybur Torres RBI single, and a bases loaded walk to DJ LeMahieu. The Sox did more damage in the fourth inning with five run outburst. Rafael Devers hit a solo homer to left center, and then Bogaerts singled. JD Martinez struck out, but that would end the night for Tanaka. Later in the inning after a walk to Andrew Benintendi, Michael Chavis doubled in Bogaerts, Mitch Moreland doubled in Benintendi and Chavis, and then Christian Vazquez doubled in Moreland to make it 12-2.
Kyle Higashioka hit his first homer of the season for New York (66-36) in the fifth, before Benintendi and Chavis had run scoring hits in the home half of the fifth and Vazquez added an RBI groundout to make it 15-3. Devers added an RBI double in the sixth, before Sandy Leon who had replaced Betts in the batting order hit a two run homer in the eighth to right center, and Bogaerts hit his second long ball of the game to left center this time a solo homer to cap off the scoring. The Yankees used backup catcher Austin Romine as a reliever to pitch the eighth inning. The 19 runs were the most ever scored by Boston against New York in their storied 117 year rivalry.
Rick Porcello (9-7) picked up the win on the mound for Boston allowing three runs on six hits, with one walk and five strikeouts in 6.0 innings. Bogaerts had four hits and four RBI. Benintendi and Bradley Jr. both had three hits. Betts, Devers, Martinez, Chavis, and Moreland all added two hits a piece. The only starters without an RBI were Martinez and Brock Holt. The hosts had 10 doubles and four homeruns in the game. Tanaka (7-6) allowed 12 runs on 12 hits, with three walks and four strikeouts in 3.1 innings to take the pitching loss for the Yankees. Tanaka has now thrown a combined 4.0 innings in his last two starts against Boston allowing 18 earned runs on 16 hits. Luke Voit had three of the seven New York hits on the night. The 12 earned runs Friday night allowed by the right hander is also the most earned runs ever allowed by a Yankees pitcher to the Red Sox since the earned run became an official stat in 1913.
Game two of the series is Friday night at 7:10 p.m. Boston will send right hander Andrew Cashner to the hill seeking his first Red Sox win, and he will be opposed by New York left hander James Paxton.
