YANKEES 8 - RED SOX 1
It's June 29. Temperatures are in the upper 90s. And yet, around New York it feels like September. Serious September baseball that is.
The Yankees and Red Sox entered Friday's opener of a three-game series in a dead-heat for the the AL East lead and the best record in all of baseball. All things considered, both teams are on pace to win 108 games this year. So to say a lot is at stake this weekend is an understatement.
And the Yankees got off to a good start in the win department.
The Yankees dominated the Red Sox, Friday, 8-1 behind two blasts from Greg Bird, and homers by Miguel Andjuar and Aaron Judge to boot.
The Yankees, who lead all of Major League Baseball in home runs with 127, lived up to the moniker as Bronx Bombers on Friday night.
And to think the fireworks really didn't get underway until the Bombers held a 2-0 lead on a RBI single by Andjuar and a sac fly by Gleyber Torres.
Then the bombs came. Andujar crushed the second pitch he saw from Eduardo Rodriguez to left to give the Yanks a 4-0 lead. Bird followed, working the count to 3-2, before slapping a Rodriguez fastball over the left field wall to give the Yankees a 5-0 lead.
That was more than enough insurance for CC Sabathia. The crafty, 37-year old lefty gave the Yankees seven superb innings, allowing only one run on six hits with five strikeouts. Sabathia is now 5-3 on the year. It was Sabathia's most complete effort since May 4, when he held the Indians to three hits over six innings in a no decision. It was the first time CC went seven innings for the win since April 29, a 2-1 victory over the LA Angels in Anaheim.
The Yankees need performances like that from CC when it counts. He delivered big time tonight, and he has to for the rest of the year.
Offensively, the Yankees continued the home run barrage in the seventh inning when Aaron Judge connected on a two-run blast to make it 7-1. Greg Bird wrapped up his big night with a solo-shot to right in the eighth to make it 8-1.
At 53-26, the Yankees are tied via percentage points with the Red Sox, who fall to 55-28.
The two rivals meet again Saturday night when Sonny Gray toes the rubber for the Yankees opposite Red Sox ace, Chris Sale. First pitch at 7:15 on FOX 5.
It's June 29. Temperatures are in the upper 90s. And yet, around New York it feels like September. Serious September baseball that is.
The Yankees and Red Sox entered Friday's opener of a three-game series in a dead-heat for the the AL East lead and the best record in all of baseball. All things considered, both teams are on pace to win 108 games this year. So to say a lot is at stake this weekend is an understatement.
And the Yankees got off to a good start in the win department.
The Yankees dominated the Red Sox, Friday, 8-1 behind two blasts from Greg Bird, and homers by Miguel Andjuar and Aaron Judge to boot.
The Yankees, who lead all of Major League Baseball in home runs with 127, lived up to the moniker as Bronx Bombers on Friday night.
And to think the fireworks really didn't get underway until the Bombers held a 2-0 lead on a RBI single by Andjuar and a sac fly by Gleyber Torres.
Then the bombs came. Andujar crushed the second pitch he saw from Eduardo Rodriguez to left to give the Yanks a 4-0 lead. Bird followed, working the count to 3-2, before slapping a Rodriguez fastball over the left field wall to give the Yankees a 5-0 lead.
The Yankees need performances like that from CC when it counts. He delivered big time tonight, and he has to for the rest of the year.
Offensively, the Yankees continued the home run barrage in the seventh inning when Aaron Judge connected on a two-run blast to make it 7-1. Greg Bird wrapped up his big night with a solo-shot to right in the eighth to make it 8-1.
At 53-26, the Yankees are tied via percentage points with the Red Sox, who fall to 55-28.
The two rivals meet again Saturday night when Sonny Gray toes the rubber for the Yankees opposite Red Sox ace, Chris Sale. First pitch at 7:15 on FOX 5.
Comments