Red Sox Notes: Promising Players Serve Big Hits In Doubleheader Split

BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox ended their season series against the New York Yankees on Thursday at Fenway Park. The Red Sox earned a 5-0 shutout win in Game 1 before the Yankees bounced back to hand Boston an 8-5 loss in Game 2.

The pitching staff had two very different games while the offense put up five runs in each of the two contests.

In encouraging fashion, a number of players in the lineup that are set to be legitimate contributors in 2024 stepped up for the offense.

Ceddanne Rafaela has done nothing but hit since being called to the big leagues at the end of August. Boston’s No. 3 prospect by MLB Pipeline entered the day hitting .345 with a .939 OPS in 13 games with the Red Sox. In the matinee, Rafaela hooked his second big league home run just inside the right field foul pole to extend the Red Sox lead.

Boston got another homer an inning later when Trevor Story also hit his second long ball of the year with a three-run blast to straightaway center field. The 30-year-old shortstop has given the Red Sox exceptional defense since returning from offseason elbow surgery. The bat on the other hand for the two-time Silver Slugger has been a different story, hitting .185 since his return in August. Story’s home run showed a better swing from the shortstop as the Red Sox hope he can stay healthy and return to the great combination of power, speed and defense that Boston signed to a lucrative deal heading into the 2022 season.

“Today, you saw a lot of good things,” Alex Cora told reporters after the afternoon win.

The nightcap also showed positive signs for impact players. Like Rafaela, Rafael Devers smacked his 31st home run of the season out to right field. While Devers battled some inconsistencies in 2023, the third baseman is on the verge of a 30-home run, 100-RBI campaign in his first season since signing his long-term megadeal.

Rafaela added to his performance with a pair of hard-hit singles to center field in the second matchup. On the day, the 22-year-old went 4-for-9 as he continues to show his swing at the big league level.

“The line drive up the middle was a really good at-bat,” Cora said of Rafaela. “We did some good things offensively.”

Potential Rookie of the Year candidate Triston Casas joined the conversation as well with a key RBI groundout to tie the game at five in the nightcap.

Although Boston lost the series to fall even with New York at the bottom of the American League East, the Red Sox saw encouraging signs and a fighting spirit from core players that will be part of a turnaround effort in 2024.

Here are more notes from Thursday’s Yankees-Red Sox game:

— The Red Sox closed out the season series with the Yankees with a 9-4 record against New York.

— Devers hit his 170th career home run to form a tie with Jackie Jensen for the 13th most in Red Sox history, according to Red Sox senior manager of media relations and baseball information J.P. Long.

— Boston homered in each game of the four-game set against the Yankees and have tallied at least one home run in each of the last seven games.

— The Boston pitching staff tossed its fourth shutout of 2023 in the first game of the doubleheader and its first since a 2-0 win over the Kansas City Royals on Aug. 10.

— Boston moves to 22-21 against the American League East in 2023.

— The Red Sox played two doubleheaders in a three-day span against the New York Yankees for the first time since 2006, according Long.

— The Red Sox head north for a three-game series in Toronto against the Blue Jays beginning on Friday. First pitch is set for 7:07 p.m. ET. You can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.