Justin Turner and the Boston Red Sox claimed a series sweep of the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Sunday after a dramatic 6-5 verdict concluded the three-game set.
Boston, which has won eight of nine games against the Yankees this season, improved to 66-58 on the campaign. New York, which has now lost eight consecutive contests, fell to 60-64.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
In a one-run thriller that featured back-and-forth offensive displays, the ejection of Red Sox manager Alex Cora and an overturned eighth-inning call at home plate, Turner will be remembered as the hero again.
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Turner contributed four RBIs in his final two at-bats. He hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning and followed it up with a run-scoring double to break a 5-5 tie in the ninth. It proved to be the game-winning hit.
Turner’s three-run blast in the seventh might have been his biggest hit in a Boston uniform until the ninth inning. He stepped to the plate in the seventh after the Yankees intentionally walked Rafael Devers with two outs. Turner made New York pay for the albeit understandable decision — Devers had reached base in each of his first three at-bats — and provided the Red Sox a 5-2 lead at the time.
After Red Sox reliever John Schreiber allowed the Bronx Bombers to tie it up in the bottom half of the seventh, Turner again came to the plate in the ninth with runners on first and third. He sent a 96 mph sinker to the right-field wall, which scored Pablo Reyes. Reyes started the ninth-inning rally with a leadoff single and proceeded to steal second base with nobody out.
After some dramatics, Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen shut the door in the ninth inning. He allowed the Yankees to put runners on first and second with nobody out before two consecutive strikeouts.
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Additionally, Rob Refsnyder and Trevor Story combined to throw out Yankees’ Isiah Kiner-Falefa at the plate in the eighth inning. Kiner-Falefa was waved home on a hit from Anthony Volpe, and despite the fact Refsnyder slipped in the left-field grass, the Red Sox outfielder hit Story, who got the ball to catcher Connor Wong, who applied the tag. The play initially was ruled a Yankees’ run before it was overturned in favor of the Red Sox. New York then was unsuccessful in its own challenge after believing Wong blocked the plate.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Nick Pivetta put together a performance Red Sox fans have grown used to seeing. Pivetta, who entered the game in the second inning after Josh Winckowski opened, pitched the next five frames. He held the Yankees to two runs on three hits, despite a handful of calls going against him. Pivetta concluded as he threw 51 of his 74 pitches for strikes with eight strikeouts and one walk.
— Rafael Devers reached base four times and scored three times, his first run which came after a first-inning homer. It marked the second consecutive game Devers recorded a home run against the rival Yankees, now three in four games.
— Turner, who played first base in place of the ailing Triston Casas, finished the day 2-for-4 with four RBIs, one run and one walk.
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WAGER WATCH
The series finale between the Red Sox and Yankees proved to be just as high scoring as the previous two. The two clubs combined to exceed the Over, which was set at nine runs entering the contest, after Volpe’s three-run home run in the seventh inning.
ON DECK AT NESN
The Red Sox will travel to Houston and begin a four-game series against the Astros on Monday. First pitch from is set for 8:10 p.m. ET, and you can watch it live on NESN after an hour of pregame coverage.
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Featured image via Wendell Cruz/USA TODAY Sports Images
