NEW YORK — The Red Sox needed starting pitcher Josh Winckowski to throw at least 5 innings. He didn’t.
“We’re very thin today in the bullpen,” manager Alex Cora said before Saturday’s game. “There’s a lot of guys down.”
Winckowski lasted only 3 ⅔ innings, then the Yankees offense pounded Boston’s bullpen. The Red Sox lost 14-4 to New York at Yankee Stadium.
Cohasset native Ben Rice bashed three homers for New York and received a Yankee Stadium curtain call. He became the first Yankees rookie ever with three home runs in a game.
The 25-year-old led off the bottom of the first inning with a homer against Winckowski. His three-run homer against former Yankee Greg Weissert during a seven-run fifth inning put the game away.
He hit another three-run blast in the seventh, an exclamation that put the Yankees ahead 14-4.
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Red Sox bullpen allows 11 runs
Boston’s bullpen was depleted after a 12-inning win in Miami on Thursday and a 10-inning win Friday when starter Tanner Houck lasted only 3 ⅓ innings.
Winckowski gave up three runs on five hits (two homers) and two walks while striking out four. Alex Verdugo’s two-run blast in the third inning tied it 3-3.
He left at 66 pitches with the game tied. Relievers Brennan Bernardino and Weissert then combined to allow seven runs in the fifth inning.
Bernardino recorded just two outs and allowed two runs on two hits. Weissert, who Boston acquired from the Yankees in the offseason, recorded only one out and allowed four runs on two hits and two walks, including a bases loaded walk to force in a runner he inherited from Bernardino.
Devers strokes 1,000th career hit
Rafael Devers tied the game 1-1 in the top of the third inning with an RBI single. It marked his 1,000th career hit. Of his first 1,000 hits, 44% went for extra-base hits.
Devers’ 1,001st career hit was a demolished extra-base hit. His solo homer in the fifth inning put the Red Sox ahead 4-3 and knocked Yankees ace Gerrit Cole out of the game.
Devers bashed it 441 feet with a 110.2 mph exit velocity and 36 degree launch angle.
Cole went 4 ⅓ innings and allowed four runs, seven hits and two walks while striking out eight.
Sunday’s series finale
The three-game series finale will be at 7:10 p.m. on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball.
Red Sox righty Kutter Crawford (4-7, 3.47 ERA) will start opposite Yankees righty Luis Gil (9-4, 3.41 ERA). First pitch is at 7:10 p.m.
