Red Sox Wrap: Pitching Staff Shuts Down Yankees In Game 1 Win

The Boston Red Sox pieced together their pitching staff and peppered the Green Monster en route to a 6-2 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 1 of Sunday’s doubleheader at Fenway Park.

The Red Sox, who clinched the series with the matinee win, improved to 36-35 on the season. The Yankees, who have struggled with Aaron Judge out of the lineup, fell to 39-32.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
It proved to be a complete team effort for the Red Sox, but Alex Cora’s team might be most pleased with how the pitching staff pieced it together. Given the uncertainty surrounding the injury of Tanner Houck, the Red Sox moved their starters back one day after Saturday’s postponement and elevated Kaleb Ort (two runs on two hits in 2 1/3 innings) from Triple-A Worcester to make his first career start.

Boston then went to Chris Murphy (one hit allowed in 2 2/3 innings), who was deemed the team’s 27th man, with Nick Pivetta throwing three hitless innings himself. Chris Martin closed it out and earned the save. After the Yankees benefited from a two-run home run in the first inning, Boston’s relievers held New York without a hit for seven consecutive innings. The Bronx Bombers concluded the game with four hits.

With those contributions on the mound, Boston’s offense found its footing and scored a pair of runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth. It was another positive showing for the offense after a 15-run performance in the series opener Friday night.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Alex Verdugo (2-for-4, RBI) reached base three times for the Red Sox and scored a pair of runs in the contest. Verdugo sounded an RBI double off the Green Monster in the sixth inning, which scored Connor Wong, who had hit one off the wall the batter before.

One of the prettiest swings in baseball as declared by @middlebrooks pic.twitter.com/FwRzdB9xGE

— NESN (@NESN) June 18, 2023

— Pivetta threw three innings of hitless ball in relief with four strikeouts after 27 of his 43 pitches went for strikes.

— Adam Duvall (2-for-4, RBI) was one of four Red Sox — Justin Turner, Kiké Hernández, Verdugo — to record multiple hits. He added an RBI single in the fifth inning, which scored Turner and accounted for the game-tying run.

WAGER WATCH
Those who took the Yankees on the five-inning moneyline probably weren’t too thrilled with how the Red Sox broke through in the fifth. Boston, which had baserunners in three of the first four innings, struggled to come up with a key hit early but tallied two in the fifth. FanDuel Sportsbook had New York -110 to hold a lead after the fifth inning.

UP NEXT
Boston and New York return to the diamond Sunday night for Game 2 of the doubleheader, which will be televised on ESPN. The Red Sox return to NESN on Monday night as they travel to face the Minnesota Twins with first pitch scheduled for 7:40 p.m. ET.