The first inning of Tuesday night’s Boston Red Sox-New York Yankees matchup was a disaster, to say the least.
Yankees starter Michael Pineda gave up six runs, including a three-run home run to Red Sox catcher Blake Swihart, to start things off, and Rick Porcello responded by giving up four runs of his own with a two-run jack to Dustin Ackley. But from the second inning on, Porcello was dominant.
Pineda did retire 11 straight after his rough go, but he then gave up another home run to Mookie Betts in the fifth. Porcello on the other hand, held things down through the eighth inning, giving up just two hits and striking out six to bring his total to eight on the night. And although his first inning was far from ideal, he picked himself up and got the job done, while his offense continued to rake its way to a 10-4 victory.
“To me, that was my best start all year,” Porcello said, per The Providence Journal’s Tim Britton.
Here are some more notes from Tuesday’s win.
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— Blake Swihart enjoyed the first multi-home run game of his career, adding a two-run shot in the eighth to his first inning homer. He went 2-for-4 with two runs and five RBIs, but he admitted that Yankee Stadium’s short porch and shallow right field might have helped him.
[tweet https://twitter.com/TimBritton/status/649050728619737088 align=’center’]
— Mookie Betts has been having himself a series. The 22-year-old outfielder has gone 4-for-9 with two runs, three doubles, a home run and an RBI in two games against the Yankees.
— The Red Sox now are on a five-game win streak for the first time in 2015. It’s better late than never, though, as Boston sits just three games below .500 at 77-80 and is in sole possession of third place in the American League East.
— Speaking of the AL East, the Red Sox also reduced the Yankees’ elimination number to one, meaning they’ll be out of the race for the division title with another loss. The Toronto Blue Jays now have a 5 1/2-game lead over the Bronx Bombers.
Thumbnail photo via Anthony Gruppuso/USA TODAY Sports Images
