The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees originally were scheduled to return from the All-Star Break a day before the rest of the league. But when Thursday's opener was postponed due to COVID-19 issues within the Yankees' organization, the two sides joined the rest of Major League Baseball in opening the second half of the season Friday.
And the Red Sox did so in style, using a three-run second inning to build a lead over the Yankees before finishing them off, 4-0. Eduardo Rodriguez fanned eight hitters through 5 2/3 innings, while Christian Arroyo starred offensively, going 2-for-4 with a run and two RBIs.
The win came without outfielder Jarren Duran, whose long-awaited arrival was pushed back yet another day. But Boston's other call-up fared well, as Tanner Houck threw the final three innings and earned the save.
With the win, the Red Sox moved to 56-36, while the Yankees fell to 46-44.
Here's how the rest of the roster managed in the Bronx.
GAME IN A WORD
Arroyo.
On what was shaping up to me a quiet night, Arroyo was responsible for two of Boston's runs and both of its extra-base hits. A two-out, two-run homer in the top of the second gave the Red Sox a 3-0 lead, then he doubled in the seventh.
He was the only player for either side to record multiple hits, and his home run gave the Red Sox enough breathing room to continue comfortably through the game.
ON THE BUMP
-- Rodriguez didn't have the strongest opening, with D.J. LaMahieu grabbing a leadoff single on a 1-2 count. Thanks to some defense behind him, the Yankees went down in order as Giancarlo Stanton grounded into a double play and Rougned Odor flew out to left.
In the second, he again was saved by the defense when Hunter Renfroe and Kiké Hernández grabbed a pair of deep fly balls.
It took until the third inning for E-Rod to record a strikeout, but he recorded back-to-back K's in the fourth. One of them came as he worked his way back from a 3-0 count against Stanton.
Suffice to say he'd found his groove by the time the bottom of the fifth rolled around. With two more strikeouts under his belt, there was pressure on as Chris Gittens (walk) waited at third base. But Rodriguez sent Tim Locastro down swinging to end the threat.
Rodriguez's day ended in the bottom of the sixth. He finished with two hits, two walks and eight strikeouts over 5 2/3 scoreless innings (97 pitches).
-- Hirokazu Sawamura came in to relieve E-Rod, throwing three pitches before he gave way to Houck for the bottom of the seventh. Houck, making his first major league appearance since April, is expected to play a versatile role for the Sox, and he'll get a start against the Toronto Blue Jays next week.
As for his outing Friday, things got dicey quickly. With two outs, he walked Gittens and allowed Greg Allen to hit a deep single to right that put runners on the corners. Hoy Jun Park grounded out to first to end the inning.
He was more comfortable in the eighth, when he fanned two, and he impressed enough for manager Alex Cora to keep him out for the bottom of the ninth. He earned the save, finishing with three strikeouts, a walk and a hit through three innings.
IN THE BATTER'S BOX
-- After going down in order to start the game, the Red Sox got on the board first thanks to Renfroe. Renfroe grounded out to shortstop, but it was enough to score Xander Bogaerts, who reached on a walk.
It didn't stop there. Arroyo hit his sixth home run of the year, a two-out, two-run blast that also brought home Rafael Devers, who had doubled.
-- There was little going after that, with the Sox going down in order in both the third and fourth innings. Hernández reached on a walk in the fifth to become the first baserunner for either team since the bottom of the second, but to no avail.
-- When a Red Sox player did get another hit, it was none other than Arroyo. His two-out double came at the hands of Domingo Germán, who relieved Jordan Montgomery after six innings.
-- Finally, J.D. Martinez put another one on the board for the Red Sox with his 19th home run of the season, making it 4-0. He now has reached base in 29 consecutive games, a streak tied for the longest in MLB this year.
TWEET OF THE GAME
The Yankees now are 0-7 against the Red Sox this season.
UP NEXT
The series continues Saturday at 7:15 p.m. ET. Nathan Eovaldi will get the ball for the Sox, while Gerrit Cole will go for New York.
