Final, Yankees 8-1: That’ll do it from Tampa.
New York gets four RBIs from Alfonso Soriano en route to a 8-1 win in the first meeting of the spring for these two rivals.
The Red Sox will be back in action Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Sox and Yankees will square off again the following night in Fort Myers.
End 8th, Yankees 8-1: The Yankees go down in order against Red Sox lefty Tommy Layne, and we head to the ninth.
Mid 8th, Yankees 8-1: Fred Lewis worked around a one-out single by Dan Butler to retire the Red Sox in the eighth.
The defensive highlight of the inning — and probably the game — came courtesy of new Yankees right fielder Zoilo Almonte, who laid out to rob Scott Cousins of a bloop base hit.
End 7th, Yankees 8-1: Rich Hill allowed a two-out double but nothing more in his first inning of work for the Red Sox.
Joining Hill in the field was a full crew of newcomers, as all nine starters are now out of the game.
Here’s what Sox’s new defensive alignment looks like:
C: Dan Butler
1B: Michael Olmsted
2B: Sean Coyle
3B: Mike McCoy
SS: Mike Miller
LF: Justin Henry
CF: Shannon Wilkerson
RF: Scott Cousins
Designated hitter Jonny Gomes, however, will remain in the game for at least one more at-bat.
Mid 7th, Yankees 8-1: It’s full-scale substitution time, as a host of high numbers entered the game for the Yankees in the seventh.
The frame also brought with it the Red Sox’ first run of the day, as Corey Brown led off with a double and scored on a base hit by Jonathan Herrera.
Sandwiched between those hits were groundouts by David Ross and Brandon Snyder, and Jackie Bradley Jr. was called out on strikes to end the inning.
End 6th, Yankees 8-0: Brandon Workman has no trouble getting through the sixth, retiring the side in order for the second straight inning.
Workman struck out Carlos Beltran and Mark Teixeira swinging before getting Alfonso Soriano to fly out to Corey Brown in right.
The Red Sox also made a defensive change in the inning, with Scott Cousins taking over for Mike Carp in left field. The 29-year-old outfielder is in his first year with the Red Sox after spending last season with the Los Angeles Angels and his first three major league seasons with the Florida/Miami Marlins.
Mid 6th, Yankees 8-0: Shawn Kelley dispatches the Red Sox in order in the sixth, getting Mike Carp and Xander Bogaerts to fly out to left and Ryan Lavarnway to pop out to first.
End 5th, Yankees 8-0: Brandon Workman induces three consecutive groundouts, and the Red Sox complete their first 1-2-3 inning of the afternoon.
Shawn Kelley replaces David Robertson on the mound for the Yankees to start the sixth.
Mid 5th, Yankees 8-0: David Robertson runs into trouble early, but he’s able to escape the inning with the shutout intact.
Robertson began his outing by allowing a one-out single to Jonathan Herrera, which allowed David Ross to advance to third.
A passed ball sent Herrera to second, but Robertson buckled down after that, sitting down both Jackie Bradley Jr. and Jonny Gomes on strikes to end the inning.
Top 5th, Yankees 8-0: After allowing a leadoff double to David Ross and getting Brandon Snyder to pop out, Michael Pineda’s afternoon is over.
Closer David Robertson, who has the tall task of replacing Mariano Rivera at the back of the Yankees’ bullpen, comes on to face No. 9 hitter Jonathan Herrera.
End 4th, Yankees 8-0: The rout is officially on.
Alfonso Soriano, the first batter faced by Brandon Workman, crushed a two-out home run over the left field wall to extend the Yankees’ lead to 8-0.
Soriano’s blast, which scored Carlos Beltran and Mark Teixeira, gave the veteran slugger four RBIs on the day.
Francisco Cervelli and Brian Roberts followed with consecutive singles before Workman finally sat Kelly Johnson down looking to end the inning.
David Ross will be the first batter of the fifth inning for the Red Sox.
Bottom 4th, Yankees 5-0: The Yankees get two more hits and a two-out walk against Felix Doubront, ending the right-hander’s afternoon.
Brandon Workman comes on in relief with Carlos Beltran on second and Mark Teixeira on first.
Mid 4th, Yankees 5-0: Michael Pineda made quick work of the Red Sox in the fourth, retiring Ryan Lavarnway, Xander Bogaerts and Corey Brown in order.
Pineda has been lights-out since working a somewhat shaky first inning, retiring 10 of his last 11 batters faced.
Felix Doubront will return to work the bottom of the fourth for Boston.
End 3rd, Yankees 5-0: Felix Doubront is able to escape a jam after Francisco Cervelli’s leadoff triple, striking out both Brian Roberts and Kelly Johnson and getting Ichiro Suzuki to ground out to first.
We’ll likely see Brandon Workman take the mound next for the Red Sox next inning.
Bottom 3rd, Yankees 5-0: And we are back.
Francisco Cervelli resumes the game by crushing a triple off the top of the wall in left field, forcing Mike Carp to sprint straight back into the beehive, so to speak.
Bottom 3rd, Yankees 5-0: Well, this is strange.
The game has been temporarily stopped as a swarm of bees has descended on Mike Carp’s post in left field.
Carp wants no part of these insects. I don’t blame him.
Hopefully, we’ll be underway again shortly.
Mid 3rd, Yankees 5-0: Michael Pineda is making a strong statement on the mound today, wrapping his third scoreless frame with relative ease.
Jonathan Herrera led off the inning with a chopper past the mound, which was easily handled by second baseman Brian Roberts.
Jackie Bradley Jr. then picked up the Red Sox’ first extra-base hit of the day, lofting a one-out double over the head of Ichiro Suzuki in right-center.
That’s as far as Bradley would get, though, as Jonny Gomes went down by way of the K for the second time today and Mike Carp followed suit (Pineda’s fourth and fifth strikeouts overall) to end the inning.
End 2nd, Yankees 5-0: Things are coming apart early here for the Red Sox.
Brian Roberts led off the inning with a single off Felix Doubront and promptly proceeded to steal second.
Doubront then walked Kelly Johnson (his second free pass of the game), and No. 9 hitter Ichiro Suzuki lifted a single into the gap to score Roberts.
Brett Gardner followed by reaching on a bunt single (Ryan Lavarnway’s unfamiliarity with playing first base was evident on the play) and beating out Xander Bogaerts’ throw to second on a Derek Jeter grounder, which scored Johnson from third.
Corey Brown made a sliding grab on a short Carlos Beltran popup for the first out of the inning, but Mark Teixeira followed it up with a two-run single to left, increasing the Yankees’ lead to 5-0. The Sox did pick up the second out on the play, though, as Jeter was thrown out trying to advance to third.
Alfonso Soriano flied out to the warning track in center for the final out, ending the worst inning of Doubront’s spring by far.
It’ll be Jonathan Herrera then the top of the order for the Sox in the top of the third.
Mid 2nd, Yankees 1-0: Michael Pineda is making Red Sox hitters look foolish with his strikeout pitch: the slider.
Pineda retired Corey Brown, David Ross and Brandon Snyder via groundout, strikeout and flyout in the second. Ross’ K was Pineda’s third of the game, with all three coming courtesy of low, two-strike sliders.
Former Baltimore Oriole Brian Roberts is due up first for the Yankees.
End 1st, Yankees 1-0: Felix Doubront struggled with his command in his first inning of work, and the Yankees took advantage.
The Yankees wasted no time putting a man on against Doubront, with Brett Gardner grounding a single up the middle to lead off the inning. That first hit was quickly followed by the first out, though, as Derek Jeter flied out to Corey Brown in right on the very next pitch.
An inside pitch that got away from David Ross allowed the speedy Gardner to take second, but Carlos Beltran was unable to advance him. Beltran popped out in foul territory, with third baseman Brandon Snyder ranging up to make a nice sliding grab.
Mark Teixeira then worked a five-pitch walk, and Alfonso Soriano drove home Gardner with a long RBI single to right-center field.
Francisco Cervelli grounded out to second base to end the inning. Corey Brown will come to the plate first for the Red Sox.
Mid 1st, 0-0: The Red Sox put two men on against Michael Pineda in the first, but Pineda was able to escape the inning unscathed.
Pineda had to work a bit before retiring the leadoff man, Bradley, on a ground ball to first, but he responded by striking out Jonny Gomes on three pitches.
Mike Carp then became the first baserunner of the game when his ground ball skidded just out of the reach of Derek Jeter at shortstop. That’s a play Jeter, who has announced that this will be his final season, probably would have made in years past.
Ryan Lavarnway, who’s starting at first today for the Red Sox, then grounded a slow-rolling single up the middle, with Carp advancing to third on the play, but Pineda closed out the frame by getting Xander Bogaerts to strike out on a slider in the dirt.
Brett Gardner is due up first against Felix Doubront.
1:08 p.m.: Michael Pineda’s first pitch to Jackie Bradley Jr. misses outside for a ball, and we are underway.
1 p.m.: We are just about ready to go from Tampa.
Right-hander Michael Pineda, who is battling for the Yankees’ final rotation spot, will face Jackie Bradley Jr., Jonny Gomes and Mike Carp here in the first.
11:15 a.m. ET: The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees will play each other for the first time this spring Tuesday afternoon, but the Sox will have to wait a bit longer to match up against old friend Jacoby Ellsbury.
Ellsbury, who became the latest player to swap sides in baseball’s greatest rivalry when he signed with the Yankees in the offseason, will not play in Tuesday’s game as he rests a strained right calf.
Ichiro Suzuki will slide over to fill Ellsbury’s usual spot in center field.
Several big names will be absent from Boston’s dugout, too, as Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, Shane Victorino, Will Middlebrooks and Mike Napoli are all among those not slated to play.
Felix Doubront will handle pitching duties for the Red Sox as he looks to continue his stellar spring. The lefty has allowed just three hits and zero walks over six scoreless inning thus far in Grapefruit League action.
First pitch from Steinbrenner Field in Tampa is set for 1:05 p.m. In the meantime, take a look at the starting lineups for both teams below.
Red Sox
Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
Jonny Gomes, DH
Mike Carp, LF
Ryan Lavarnway, 1B
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Corey Brown, RF
David Ross, C
Brandon Snyder, 3B
Jonathan Herrera, 2B
Felix Doubront, P
Yankees
Brett Gardner, LF
Derek Jeter, SS
Carlos Beltran, RF
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Alfonso Soriano, DH
Francisco Cervelli, C
Brian Roberts, 2B
Kelly Johnson, 3B
Ichiro Suzuki, CF
Michael Pineda, P
