The Boston Red Sox dropped the series opener of their four-game set against the New York Yankees, 6-5, at Fenway Park on Thursday.
Boston fell to 45-38 on the season, while New York improved to 60-23.
You can view the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Rafael Devers is emerging as one of the best big-game performers in Major League Baseball. There is no bigger regular-season stage than a Red Sox-Yankees matchup under the lights, especially with Gerrit Cole on the mound.
Devers entered the game with four home runs against Cole, a number that increased during Thursday's faceoff. In the third inning, after Boston allowed five runs in the previous frame, Devers hit a monster two-run blast well over the bullpen to cut the lead to three.
In the fifth inning, Devers hit a three-run tank to dead center field to cut the lead to just one. He drove in all of the Red Sox's five runs. Cole has now allowed more home runs to the Red Sox slugger than any other player.
STARS OF THE GAME
-- Devers hit two home runs and racked up five RBIs in the Red Sox loss. He did everything he could to will the team to victory, but fell short. The slugger finished 2-for-3 with a walk.
-- Josh Donaldson hit a grand slam off of Josh Winckowski in the second inning to open the scoring and added a single later in the game.
-- Aaron Hicks hit a solo shot to go back-to-back with Donaldson off Winckowski. Hicks finished 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI.
WAGER WATCH
The Red Sox-Yankees game had an Over set at 8.5 on DraftKings Sportsbook. That total hit easily with -110 odds. A $110 bet paid out $210 on Thursday night.
ON DECK AT NESN
The Red Sox will play the second of a four-game set against the Yankees on Friday at Fenway Park. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET following an hour of pregame coverage, and you can watch it all on NESN.
