The Yankees jumped on the Red Sox early Friday night at Fenway Park, and they never looked back.
New York scored three runs on four hits in the first inning against Boston starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi. The Bronx Bombers proceeded to keep their foot on the gas, tacking on four more runs in the third frame and eventually securing an 8-3 win in the series opener.
As Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres revealed after the game, being aggressive from the get-go was a point of emphasis for the visitors.
"Before the game, during the meeting, we were talking about trying to attack early," Torres told reporters, per MLB.com. "That helped (Gerrit) Cole. Eovaldi always pitches really well when they face us. We changed a little bit of the plan and tried to attack early and did damage early."
Cole certainly looked comfortable on the heels of early run support. The star right-hander, who collected his 16th win of the season Friday, did not allow a hit until the fourth inning.
Boston's lead over New York for the first American League Wild Card spot now is down to one game. The AL East rivals will meet again Saturday, with NESN providing coverage of all of the action beginning at 3 p.m. ET.
