The comeback kids were at it again on Sunday afternoon at Fenway Park. Trailing the New York Yankees 4-0 and being no-hit by Domingo German through seven innings, the Boston Red Sox ended the no-hitter with a leadoff double by Alex Verdugo in the eighth and went on to score five times in the frame against the Yankees bullpen to pull off an improbable 5-4 win. Boston ends up taking three out the four games in the series and are once again alone in first place in the American League East by one game.
New York (51-47) looked to be rolling to a split of the series, getting RBI singles from Rougned Odor and Gio Urshela in the third and fourth innings to make it 2-0. Odor drove in another with a solo homerun over the Boston bullpen in right in the sixth, and Gleyber Torres increased the lead to 4-0 with an RBI single in the eighth. Meanwhile German was doing his thing using a great curveball and changeup to keep the Sox off balance walking only one and striking out 10 on the afternoon, with no hits until the eighth. Verdugo would start things in the bottom of the eighth with a sharp double to right field to end the day for German at 93 pitches. Jonathan Loaisiga came in to pitch, and Hunter Renfroe greeted him with an RBI double to left to cut it to 4-1. Christian Vazquez singled to drive in Renfroe, and Franchy Cordero kept it going with a single to center. Kike Hernandez made it five straight hits by hammering a double down the left field line to score Vazquez and put runners on second and third. Zack Britton was the third Yankees pitcher of the inning, and pinch hitter Kevin Plawecki grounded out to shortstop to tie the game 4-4 and advance Hernandez to third base. Xander Bogaerts had the game winner by lifting a sacrifice fly to right, as Hernandez beat the throw home easily as the home crowd went into delirium. Matt Barnes retired the first two hitters in the ninth, before allowing a single to Giancarlo Stanton. Pinch runner Tyler Wade stole second and was the tying run, but Barnes picked up the save when Odor popped out to Rafael Devers at third to end it. Boston improves their record to 61-39 with their 32nd come from behind win on the season.
Martin Perez got a no decision on the hill allowing three runs on six hits with two walks and six strikeouts in 6.0 innings. Brandon Workman (1-2) picked up the win in relief, and Barnes got his 21st save. No Red Sox batters had more than one hit, with all five knocks coming in the big eighth inning. Odor and Torres had two hits each for New York, with Loaisiga (7-4) taking the loss and Britton tagged with the blown save. German ended up being charged with one run. Boston opens a four game series at Fenway on Monday against Toronto. The Red Sox send RHP Nick Pivetta (8-4, 4.37 ERA) to the bump in the opener, while the Blue Jays haven’t yet announced a starter.
