The Red Sox began their four-game set with the Yankees on the right note, blowing out New York at Fenway Park in Thursday’s series opener.
Boston racked up 23 hits en route to a convincing 19-3 victory over the American League East-leading Yankees.
The Red Sox collected 14 extra-base hits, led by Xander Bogaerts two home runs. The shortstop led the offense with four total hits. Eight Boston batters had multi-hit nights.
The Red Sox improved to 57-47 with the win, while the Yankees fell to 66-36.
Here’s how it went down:
GAME IN A WORD
Rout.
The Red Sox piled on from the jump in this one to blow out the Yankees.
ON THE BUMP
— Porcello looked sharp in the first inning, but the Yankees would get to the righty in the second. After a Didi Gregorius double and a Luke Voit single, Gleyber Torres would a line a base hit to left, driving in New York’s first run of the night.
DJ LeMahieu used a 10-pitch at-bat to walk with the bases loaded later in the inning to make it 7-2, but Porcello would escape the jam without further damage. The right-hander threw 47 pitches in the second inning.
Porcello settled down, retiring the next six batters, but got tagged to begin the fifth. Kyle Higashioka led off the inning with a solo shot to make it 12-3.
The former Cy Young Award winner went six innings, giving up three runs on six hits to go along with five strikeouts.
— Darwinzon Hernandez came in for the seventh and retired the side in order, striking out two.
— Colten Brewer pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning.
— Nathan Eovaldi finished the job for Boston with a scoreless ninth.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— The Red Sox came out swinging, bringing 10 men to the plate in the first inning and plating seven runs on seven hits.
Mookie Betts led the inning off with a single followed by a walk from Rafael Devers. Xander Bogaerts came up next to put the Sox on the board, blasting a 451-foot, three-run bomb over the Green Monster.
But Boston didn’t stop at three.
Three straight singles from Andrew Benintendi, Brock Holt and Mitch Moreland would load the bases for Jackie Bradley Jr. The outfielder roped a double down the line, driving in two to make a 5-0 Red Sox. Betts would return to the dish and grab a two-run double of his own in the next at-bat, giving Boston a 7-0 lead.
— Devers led off the fourth inning with a solo shot to left-center, making it 8-2 Red Sox.
Bogaerts singled to right in the next at-bat and would move over to second following a Benintendi walk. Michael Chavis smacked an RBI double in his first plate appearance of the night after replacing Holt (ejection) to drive in Bogaerts. But the hit parade wasn’t done there.
Mitch Moreland made it back-to-back doubles, driving in two with a two-out line drive to make 11-2 Boston. Christian Vazquez came up and hit the Red Sox’s third consecutive double, driving in Moreland for their fifth run of the inning.
— Boston would continue piling on in the fifth thanks to four straight hits to lead off the inning. A Bogaerts single, J.D. Martinez double, Benintendi single and Chavis double gave the Red Sox their 13th and 14th runs of the night. Vazquez grounded out to drive in Benintendi for run No. 15.
— Devers collected his 81st RBI of the year in the sixth inning on a double that scored Betts to make it 16-3.
— Yankees catcher Austin Romine came took the hill in the bottom of the eighth and gave up a leadoff single to Bradley Jr. Sandy Leon entered the game for Betts and smacked a two-run homer into the Boston bullpen, putting the Red Sox ahead 18-3.
Bogaerts smoked his second homer of the night to give Boston its 19th run and 22nd hit of the night.
— The Red Sox collected 10 doubles and four doubles on the evening.
— Every Boston starter except for J.D. Martinez collected at least one RBI. Seven players had multiple RBI’s.
— Bogaerts led the Red Sox with four hits, while Benintendi and Bradley Jr. had three apiece.
— Sam Travis was the only Red Sox batter without a hit.
TWEET OF THE DAY
Baseball can be weird sometimes.
UP NEXT
First pitch of Game 2 from Fenway is set for Friday at 7:10 p.m. ET. Andrew Cashner takes the hill for Boston. He’ll be opposed by left-hander James Paxton.
