Yankees Show London How Good They Are and Can Still Be

YANKEES 17 - RED SOX 13 

It was a score more reminiscent of an NFL football game. For the people of London, England who are not used to watching a baseball game, don't get used to it. Most baseball games usually end 4-2, 2-1 or 1-0.

But on Saturday, the Yankees and Red Sox flexed their offensive muscle, giving Londoners a taste of the most bitter rivalry in baseball complete with both teams putting up multiple innings of six runs a piece, and a ballgame that lasted nearly five hours.

Neither starter lasted very long in this one. Rick Porcello lasted only a third of an inning, before Alex Cora had to remove him after the Yankees slapped six runs on the Morristown, New Jersey native.

Even jumping continents and a five hour time difference wasn't enough to slow down the Yankees vaunted offense, which look as good as ever. Luke Voit's double down the left field line drove in DJ LeMahieu with the games first run was only the beginning.

Didi Gergorius ripped a double to right scoring Voit and Gary Sanchez to make it 3-0. New-comer Edwin Encarnation followed suit with a double to left, scoring Gregarious to make it 4-0. Aaron Hick's two-run jack to left was the finishing touches on Porcello in a half inning that lasted a total of 27 minutes.

However, as quickly as the Yankees jumped out to a 6-0 lead, they gave it back just as fast. Mashairo Tanaka just didn't have it. He gave up a lead-off single to Mookie Betts, and RBI double to Rafael Devers, before walking Xander Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez. All of this without recording an out.  Two batters later, Brock Holts single brought home Bogaerts, setting up the table for Michael Chavis who crushed a three-run homer to center, tying the game at six.

Tanaka was done after yielding six runs, all earned, in just two-thirds of an inning.

Fortunately for New York it didn't take long to regain the lead. Brett Gardner's two-run jack in the top of the third put the Yankees up 8-6. New York would tack onto that lead with a six-run fourth inning, seemingly blowing the game wide open.

LeMahieu's bases clearly double in the top of the fourth doubled the Yankee lead to 12-6. Aaron Judge followed with a two-run jack to put the Yankees up fat, 14-6.

An inning later, Gregorius and LeMahieu added to the Yankee total with a pair of RBI base hits to push the Yankees lead to 11, at 17-6.

Still, New York had to hold on for dear life as the Red Sox stormed back in the later innings. A homer by Jackie Bradley Jr. pulled the Sox within 10 at 17-7, and Chivas' second three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh pulled Boston within a touchdown at 17-10.

The Sox would tack on three more runs off Tommy Khanle as the Yankee lead was shrunk down to 17-13. But give the Yankees credit. Unlike the cross town rival Mets, the Bronx Bombers have the horses to get over the finish line.

Adam Ottovino, Zach Britton and Aroldis Chapman combined to shut down Boston the rest of the way as New York persevered for their AL leading 53rd victory of the season.

With the win, the Yankees are 10 games ahead of the Red Sox in the AL East.

The AL East rivals wrap up their London excursion Sunday afternoon, 2 p.m. London time, 10 a.m. New York time.