The Boston Red Sox brought their bats with them to Yankee Stadium.
The Sox opened their three-game series with the New York Yankees with a 5-4 win Tuesday night, and home runs played a pivotal role. Mitch Moreland, Hanley Ramirez and Andrew Benintendi all went yard for the Sox on a long, wild night in the Bronx.
Those home runs were needed, too, as left-handed starter Drew Pomeranz only lasted five innings due to a high pitch count. But Pomeranz and the bullpen limited the damage just enough to earn the victory.
With the win, Boston improved to 32-25, while New York dropped to 32-23.
Here’s how it all went down.
GAME IN A WORD
Back-to-back.
OK, so that’s sort of stretching things, but the back-to-back home runs from Moreland and Ramirez in the fourth inning were huge.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Craig Kimbrel recorded a four-out save to seal the win for the Sox. It wasn’t easy, as he allowed an inherited runner to score in the bottom of the eighth, but he still earned his 17th save of the season.
ON THE BUMP
— Pomeranz got all three outs via strikeouts in the first inning. The only blemish for him in that frame was an Aaron Judge single.
The Yankees got to him for a run in the second inning when an errant Mookie Betts throw from right field to third base got past Pablo Sandoval and allowed Aaron Hicks to score. The mishap came on a single by shortstop Didi Gregorius.
New York came close to scoring again in the fourth inning when it got runners on first and second, but a double play ended the threat. However, Pomeranz’s pitch count already was up to 94 at that point.
Chris Carter hit a solo home run in the fifth inning to trim the Yankees’ deficit to three, but the Red Sox left-hander got out of the frame without allowing any more damage despite throwing 123 total pitches. He went five innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits with two walks and seven strikeouts.
— Robby Scott allowed a run in the bottom of the sixth inning, but it could have been worse. Starlin Castro and Hicks hit back-to-back singles to lead off the frame, and Castro advanced to third on Hicks’ hit. Castro later scored when Gregorius hit into a double play, cutting the Red Sox’s lead to two.
— Joe Kelly came on in the seventh and allowed a walk, but that was his only mistake. He also had quite the sequence against Yankees phenom Aaron Judge before ultimately striking him out.
— Matt Barnes took over in the eighth and allowed a double to Matt Holliday, but he got the next two batters out before turning the game over to Kimbrel.
— Kimbrel struck out two batters in the eighth, as his first strikeout resulted in a wild pitch, and Holliday scored on the play to trim Boston’s lead to one. But Carter struck out by swinging at ball four to end the frame.
The Red Sox closer fared better in the ninth with three straight strikeouts in a 1-2-3 inning.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— Boston wasted no time getting on the board, as their first three batters all reached base in the first inning. Betts started the game with a single, and he advanced to third on a Benintendi single. Betts then scored on a Xander Bogaerts forceout.
— The Red Sox struck again in the fourth inning thanks to back-to-back home runs from Moreland and Ramirez. Moreland’s was a two-run homer, and the back-to-back jacks gave Boston a three-run lead.
— The Sox used the long ball to their advantage again in the fifth inning when Benintendi hit a solo blast of his own into the second deck in right field.
TWEET OF THE DAY
This doesn’t seem ideal.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox and Yankees will play Game 2 of their series at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET. Rick Porcello is scheduled to pitch for Boston opposite New York’s CC Sabathia.
Thumbnail photo via Adam Hunger/USA TODAY Sports Images
