Where does one even begin with the Boston Red Sox’s series-opening win over the New York Yankees?
The Red Sox clubbed 23 hits, including 14 of the extra-base variety. Boston tied the American League record with eight players collecting multiple RBI. They’re the first team to do so since 2007, according to Red Sox Notes.
It was a total team effort, and Alex Cora said after the win that his club has been solid at the plate for a while now thanks to the top of the order.
“We’ve been rolling offensively for a while now,” Cora said, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “Those three guys on top, especially the number two hitter (Rafael Devers) and third hitter (Xander Bogaerts), they’ve been consistent the whole season and they’re doing damage. … They’ve been very consistent. When Mookie is getting on at this rate, it’s probably been about a month already where his on-base percentage is where it’s supposed to be, we become a good offense.”
Cora is right. Devers and Bogaerts have been Boston’s most consistent hitters all year long, and that was the case again on Thursday night. Add in Betts’ much-improved play, and the Red Sox have a lethal trio at the top of their lineup. Devers, Bogaerts and Betts were a combined 8-of-15 with three home runs and eight RBI’s in the win.
“I’m just trying to get on base for Devers and Bogey because it feels like I score every time,” Betts said.
The Red Sox have done a nice job of driving in baserunners as of late, something Cora says they’ve improved upon over the last month or so.
“We feel good offensively,” Cora added. “I think we’ve done a better job the last month and a half to put together good at-bats with men in scoring position. I think that was the difference early on, but we’ve been pretty good for a while now.”
Here are some other notes from Thursday’s Red Sox-Yankees game:
— Devers leads the MLB in RBI’s for the month of July. According to ESPN Stats & Info, he’s the youngest Red Sox player with a 30-RBI month since Ted Williams did so in August of 1939.
— Boston collected season-highs in runs (19), hits (23), extra-base hits (14) and doubles (10) in the series-opening win.
— The Red Sox have scored eight-plus runs in four straight games vs the Yankees for the first time since 1912, per Red Sox Notes.
— 19 runs is the most ever scored by the Red Sox vs. the Yankees, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.
— Bogaerts brought his home run total to 23 on Thursday night, matching his career-high for a single season. His three-run bomb in the first inning was measured at 451 feet, which was the longest of his career.
— Rick Porcello went six innings on Thursday, giving up three runs and six hits en route to his ninth win of the year.
The quality start was meant Boston made it through a full turn of the rotation with all five starters going at least six innings, per Speier.
