Welcoming the team with the best record in baseball into your park always is going to be a tall task.
It’s an even taller task when you don’t have a starting pitcher to take the ball.
But in the first of two bullpen games for the Red Sox this weekend against the New York Yankees, Boston’s arms stood tall in a 6-1 win Friday night at Fenway Park.
Jhoulys Chacin dazzled in his Red Sox debut, going two innings as the opener to set the tone for the evening. Boston used seven pitchers en route to the victory, holding New York to just three hits. Marcus Walden picked up the win. Boston had only six hits but used a four-run fourth to take control in the series opener.
The Red Sox moved to 76-65 with the win while the Yankees fell to 92-50 after the loss.
Here’s how it all went down:
GAME IN A WORD
Bullpen.
That went better than everyone expected.
ON THE BUMP
— Chacin’s first outing with the Red Sox could not have gone much better.
The right-hander, picked up from free agency, tossed two perfect innings to open the game, fanning four consecutive Yankees in the process.
He threw 35 pitches, 23 of them for strikes.
— Josh Taylor tossed a spotless third, striking out two.
— Walden allowed the first hit of the game in the fourth, allowing Didi Gregorius to double with two outs. Walden stranded the runner to toss a scoreless inning with two strikeouts and walk.
— Andrew Cashner ran into some trouble in the fifth, allowing Brett Gardner to line a home run that wrapped around Pesky’s Pole to make it 4-1. That was the only hit the righty allowed, however, striking out one.
— Ryan Weber allowed just one base runner over two innings of work, tossing a 1-2-3 sixth. He walked Gary Sanchez to start the seventh but recovered to chuck a scoreless seventh, with Jackie Bradley Jr. throwing out Sanchez at home plate on a two-out base hit to center.
— Darwinzon Hernandez walked one and struck out one in a scoreless eighth.
— Bobby Poyner was tasked with the ninth, tossing a 1-2-3 inning.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— After going three innings without a hit, the offense came alive in the fourth.
Brock Holt singled to bring home Rafael Devers to make it 1-0 and put runners on the corners.
Mitch Moreland followed with a three-run home run down the right field line.
— Following back-to-back walks to Mookie Betts and Devers, Xander Bogaerts laced a two-run double to break things open a bit in the fifth, making it 6-1.
— Moreland was the only Red Sox batter with multiple hits, finishing 3-for-4.
TWEET OF THE DAY
One more time for Mitch.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox continue their four-game set against the Yankees on Saturday. First pitch from Fenway Park is slated for 4:05 p.m. ET.
