Red Sox Wrap: Steve Pearce’s Three Home Runs Help Boston Rout Yankees 15-7

So Brian Cashman, about that “damage?”

The New York Yankees general manager claimed his club is the only one that has been able to beat up the Boston Red Sox this season, but the Bronx Bombers got a crash course in how to do damage Thursday night at Fenway Park.

Trailing 4-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Red Sox’s offense exploded for eight runs against the Yankees’ bullpen. Boston sent 13 men to the plate against three different New York right-handers, and when the dust settled, the Sox held a 10-4 lead.

Boston kicked it into cruise control from that point forward, taking Game 1 of the four-game series, 15-7. Steve Pearce smashed three home runs and drove in six runs in the win, while Mookie Betts reached base six times.

With the win, the Red Sox extended their American League East lead to 6 1/2 games and improved to 76-34, while the Yankees fell to 68-39.

Here’s how it all went down:

GAME IN A WORD
Damage.

The real kind. The Red Sox cranked out 19 hits in the beat down of the Yankees.

ON THE BUMP
— Brian Johnson’s spot start for the injured Chris Sale didn’t start well, but the left-hander was able to settle in and grab a win thanks to Boston’s offensive outburst.

The Yankees jumped on the Red Sox lefty early in the first inning. Aaron Hicks led off the game by reaching on a Brock Holt error, Giancarlo Stanton followed with a single and Didi Gregorius brought them both home with a three-run home run.

The Yankees flashed some power again in the second inning when Hicks belted a two-out solo home run to right-center field to make it 4-0.

New York had a chance to extend its lead in the fourth, but Johnson rung up Stanton with runners on first and second to end the inning.

Gregorius cut into the Red Sox’s lead in the fifth when he led off the inning with a solo home run around the Pesky Pole.

Johnson struck out the side following the home run, ending his night having allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits while striking out 11 in five innings.

— Brandon Workman tossed a scoreless sixth. The right-hander allowed a run in the seventh when Stanton blasted a solo home run over the Green Monster to make it 14-6.

— Joe Kelly worked a 1-2-3 eighth.

— Ryan Braiser pitched the ninth inning and allowed a run.

IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— Boston broke through in the second when they loaded the bases with one out. C.C. Sabathia struck out Jackie Bradley Jr. for the second out of the frame, but then issued a walk to Betts to make it 4-1.

— The Red Sox further trimmed the deficit when Pearce launched a solo home run into the Green Monster seats to lead off the third inning.

The Red Sox put runners on second and third with two outs later in the inning, but Sabathia got Holt to fly out to right field.

— Sabathia’s night ended after three innings, and the Sox went to work on the Yankees’ bullpen. Jonathan Holder walked Bradley to begin the fourth and then surrendered a double to Betts to put runners on second and third. Holder got Benintendi to chop one back to him, but Bradley broke for home and avoided the tag from Austin Romine to make it 4-3.

Pearce followed by blasting a long three-run homer over the Green Monster to give Boston a 6-4 edge.

Boston continued to torment Holder, as J.D. Martinez followed Pearce with a ringing double and was chased home by an Ian Kinsler RBI single.

Eduardo Nunez plated Kinsler with an RBI double in the next at-bat.

Bradley kept the party going in his second at-bat of the inning when he ripped a two-out RBI double off the Green Monster to make it 9-4.

Two batters later, Benintendi plated Bradley with an RBI single to left, increasing the Red Sox’s lead to 10-4.

— The hit parade continued in the fifth for Boston. Martinez and Kinsler led off the frame with back-to-back doubles to make it 11-5.

— Benintendi added to the lead in the sixth when he drove in Betts with an RBI double off the Green Monster. Then Pearce followed with his third round-tripper of the game, a two-run blast to make it 14-5.

— Boston tacked on a run in the eighth on a Martinez RBI infield single.

— Betts reached base six times, collecting four hits and two walks.

–Benintendi, Martinez, Pearce and Kinsler each notched three hits.

— Blake Swihart, Sandy Leon and Holt went hitless.

— Bradley went 1-for-4. Nunez went 2-for-5.

TWEET OF THE GAME
That’ll do.

UP NEXT
The Red Sox and Yankees will play Game 2 of their four-game series Friday. Boston will send Rick Porcello to the mound and New York will counter with Luis Severino. First pitch from Fenway Park is set for 7:10 p.m.