BOSTON — Yankees lefty Carlos Rodón arrived at Fenway Park on Saturday having posted a 2.19 ERA in last six starts (37 innings). The Red Sox greeted him with a barrage of early rockets.
Boston’s batters ambushed Rodón with three runs in the first inning and two more in the second to open up an early lead and the Sox held on to beat the Yankees for the first time this year, 8-4. Behind five strong — but at times, shaky — innings from the bullpen, the Sox improved to 36-35. They’ll try to secure a series win in primetime Sunday night.
The Red Sox didn’t get many cheapies against Rodón early, as their offense combined to put eight balls in play hit 99.9 mph or harder against him in the first two innings. In the first, Jarren Duran led off with a double before Tyler O’Neill opened the scoring by smashing a 100.1 mph two-bagger of his own off the Green Monster. After Rafael Devers walked and Connor Wong plated a second run with an RBI single through the middle, rookie Jamie Westbrook notched the second extra-base hit of his career by drilling a double (104.9 mph) off the left-field wall to make it 3-0.
Righty Cooper Criswell ran into trouble soon after, allowing a leadoff single to Giancarlo Stanton before walking Anthony Rizzo to start the second. With two outs, D.J. LeMahieu looped a two-run single into right field to make it a one-run game. But the Red Sox wouldn’t have such little breathing room long.
Ceddanne Rafaela led off the bottom of the second with a single, then with two outs, O’Neill extended the inning with another knock. Then came the big blow as Devers smashed a two-run double into the left-field gap at 112 mph to make it 5-2. Rodón settled in with three straight scoreless innings but was tagged for five runs on seven hits in five frames.
With Criswell (4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K) at 88 pitches through four innings, Alex Cora turned to his bullpen early for the second straight night. Righty Justin Slaten got an immediate test as the Yanks loaded the bases with one out — but Slaten got Alex Verdugo to ground into a force at home, then threw five straight sweepers to Giancarlo Stanton and got him to whiff at three to end the inning.
Slaten, throwing the most pitches he has all season (47), came back out for a third inning in the seventh and finally conceded a run when Juan Soto’s 18th homer of the year barely cleared the Green Monster and made it a 5-3 game. But the Red Sox got the run back in the bottom of the frame with a two-out mini-rally. Masataka Yoshida laced a double into the right field gap to get in scoring position and scored when pinch-hitter Enmanuel Valdez singled to center. Yoshida barely avoided the tag at the plate after a missile throw from center fielder Aaron Judge.
Facing his old team, Greg Weissert was the next man up for the Red Sox in relief as the eighth begun. He struck out Stanton then walked back-to-back batters and allowed a single to load the bases. D.J. LeMahieu brought New York back within two runs when he grounded into a force up the middle while a run scored.
With two outs in the eighth and runners on the corners, Cora called upon Kenley Jansen, who ended the inning by getting Anthony Volpe to pop out. Two batters into the bottom of the frame, Duran drove in a run with an RBI single and put the Sox up three again. He came home on a throwing error by catcher Jose Trevino to plate Boston’s eighth run.
Jansen worked a 1-2-3 ninth, inducing three fly balls. He picked up his 11th save of the year.
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Crawford has Sunday night start
It’ll be righty Kutter Crawford (2-6, 3.47 ERA) on the mound for the Red Sox in the rubber game of the three-game set and the finale of a tough six-game homestand Sunday night. Veteran free agent signee Marcus Stroman (6-2, 2.82) will get his first start in Boston as a member of the Yankees.
The game is in primetime on ESPN with first pitch at 7:07 p.m. ET. The Red Sox will then travel to Toronto ahead of a three-game series that starts there Monday night.
