MartÃn Pérez pitched arguably the best start of the Boston Red Sox season.
But alas, it was spoiled.
The Sox on Friday (well, Saturday by the time the game ended), suffered a 6-5 loss to the New York Yankees in 12 innings at Fenway Park.
Pérez pitched six scoreless innings, but Matt Barnes blew the save opportunity in the ninth and a D.J. LeMahieu double in the 12th tied the bow on the Yankees' victory.
The other downside was the departure of Alex Verdugo, who was pulled in the third inning for precautionary reasons with hamstring tightness.
With the loss, the Red Sox fell to 19-33, while the Yankees climbed to 30-21.
Here's how it all went down:
GAME IN A WORD
Tight.
It was back and forth in the final few innings of the game.
ON THE BUMP
-- Pérez had arguably the best start of the Red Sox season.
The southpaw, who usually demonstrates a wide pitch mix, pumped mostly fastballs by the Yankees all night. He allowed three hits over six scoreless innings, striking out seven while walking one and hitting one batter.
Pérez retired the side in order in the first, fourth and fifth innings, and didn't allow a runner past second base all night.
-- Darwinzon Hernandez, who was activated from the injured list earlier in the day, got the seventh inning.
The southpaw got into some trouble though, loading the bases before getting pulled with two outs in the frame.
-- Marcus Walden entered in a tough spot, and he gave up a ground-rule double to Gary Sanchez that scored two and cut Boston's lead to 4-2.
However, Walden responded by getting Clint Frazier to ground out to end the inning.
-- Ryan Brasier got the eighth, and he too got into some trouble.
The right-hander gave up a one-out single to Aaron Judge, who came home the next at-bat on a Giancarlo Stanton double down the left-field line.
But he buckled down and got Luke Voit to line out and Gleyber Torres to strike out looking, ending the inning with a one-run lead in tact.
-- Barnes entered to close the door in the ninth, but with two outs he left a curveball over the plate that Sanchez ripped into the Monster Seats to tie the game at four.
-- Ryan Weber pitched the 10th (with a runner beginning the frame on second), but he retired the side in order.
Weber returned for the 11th and allowed the go-ahead run, a Luke Voit single to left that scored Mike Tauchman, which made it 5-4.
In Weber's third inning of work, LeMahieu ripped a two-out double that made it 6-5 Yankees.
IN THE BATTER'S BOX
-- Christian Arroyo broke the contest open in the fourth.
Christian Vazquez began the inning with a single, and two batters later Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a base knock of his own. After Michael Chavis struck out for the second out of the inning, Arroyo launched a three-run blast to left.
-- An inning later with two down and Xander Bogaerts on third, Vazquez ripped a double that put the Sox up 4-0.
-- With the Sox down 5-4 in the 10th, Arroyo ripped a single that scored Chavis from third to tie the game. Tzu-Wei Lin then dropped down a sacrifice bunt that was mishandled at first by Tyler Wade, so Lin reached safely.
That brought up Devers with no outs and runners on first and second, and he grounded into a fielder's choice that put runners on the corners.
Bogaerts walked to load the bases, but J.D. Martinez struck out for the second out and Vazquez ended the inning with a flyout.
-- Vazquez and Arroyo led the Red Sox with three hits.
-- Bogaerts had a pair of hits.
-- Verdugo and Bradley had one hit apiece.
-- Lin, Devers, Martinez, Kevin Plawecki and Chavis all went hitless.
TWEET OF THE GAME
Yep.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox and Yankees will play the middle contest of their three-game set Saturday evening.
First pitch for the is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. Chris Mazza is scheduled to get the ball for Boston, while J.A. Happ will start for the Yankees.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
