BOSTON — New York Yankees starter Carlos Rodón arrived at Fenway Park with a 2.93 ERA in 14 starts this season, limiting opponents to three runs or fewer in 13 of those 14 appearances.
That the Boston Red Sox blitzed him for three runs in the first inning alone and then added two more in the second, set the tone for the night as they remained aggressive, adding insurance runs at key points en route to pulling out an 8-4 win over the Yankees, owners of the best record in baseball.
“We played, man,” manager Alex Cora said. “We’re young. We’re going to lose some games, we’re going to win some games. It’s a good brand of baseball. It’s fun. The offense, when we’re clicking, it’s fun to watch. We’re going to put pressure on the opposition. The at-bats are getting better … So it was a fun game and we got a chance to win the series tomorrow.”
A raucous sellout crowd of 36,673 added to the atmosphere for the Saturday night nationally televised Fox game. It marked the 37th home game of the season for the Red Sox, but just the second sellout and first since Opening Day. After two straight last-place finishes, this year figured to follow the same script, especially with a roster devoid of many star players. The Red Sox have hovered around .500 much of the year, but have been better than expected in many ways. Watching the real-time maturation of so many of these young players has proved both frustrating and rewarding, sometimes both on the same night.
On Saturday, it was more of the former.
Jarren Duran opened the game with a leadoff double against the lefty Rodón and scored minutes later on a Tyler O’Neill double. Rafael Devers walked and Connor Wong, hitting in the five-hole, slapped a single up the middle to make it 2-0 before Jamie Westbrook, the journeyman who spent 11 years in the minors before his big league debut earlier this month, rocketed a double off the wall to make it 3-0, rattling Rodón.
Jarren Duran celebrates after scoring a run during the eighth inning against the Yankees. (Bob DeChiara / USA Today)
The Yankees tacked on two runs against Red Sox starter Cooper Criswell in the second on a two-run single from No. 9 hitter DJ LeMahieu to pull within 3-2. But unlike so many other games this season, the Red Sox lineup continued to add insurance.
In the second, Devers battled Rodón through an eight-pitch at-bat before crushing a two-run double to center to make it 5-2.
After a 26-pitch first inning and 34-pitch second, Criswell cruised through the third on 14 pitches though his pitch count had mounted early and he lasted just four innings. Still, he kept the Red Sox in the game with two runs allowed on two hits and two walks, striking out six.
Rookie Justin Slaten took over in the fifth and was greeted by fellow rookie Ceddanne Rafaela’s error at shortstop. Slaten loaded the bases on a fielder’s choice and two walks but got a hard grounder to first that Bobby Dalbec snared and fired home for the force out. Slaten came back to strike out Giancarlo Stanton, throwing him five straight sweepers before getting him to swing-and-miss on 2-2 with the bases loaded to preserve the score as Fenway erupted.
Sat ’em down. pic.twitter.com/ToxzRW9pF2
— Red Sox (@RedSox) June 16, 2024
“Everybody was screaming, both sides,” Slaten said. “It’s just a really surreal feeling honestly. I had to kind of come in after I was done and just take a minute like, ‘Wow, that’s the first time pitching in a game like that.’ All games matter, but it just felt like these last two and the one tomorrow just mean a little bit more.”
Slaten gave up a solo homer to Juan Soto in the seventh, but the Red Sox added insurance runs in the bottom of the frame. Masataka Yoshida, who returned from more than a month on the injury list earlier this week, hit a two-out double. Pinch hitter Enmanuel Valdez drove him in with a single to center making it 6-3.
Cora turned to righty Greg Weissert in the eighth. Weissert was drafted by the Yankees and pitched in New York for two seasons before he was traded to Boston this winter as part of the Alex Verdugo deal. The 29-year-old loaded the bases on two walks and a single with one out and nearly got out of it with a double play, but Rafaela and Valdez couldn’t turn it quickly enough allowing a run to score.
Amid Weissert’s struggles, Cora got a call from the bullpen. It was bullpen coach Kevin Walker. Kenley Jansen was warming up.
“When I see Weis was in trouble, we called down and started warming up,” Jansen said. “I didn’t want to lose that game.”
It’s been a different kind of season for Jansen, who’s never played on such a young team with so many growing pains. The save opportunities have been few and far between. On Sunday in Chicago, he pitched two innings in a tie game, picking up the win when the Red Sox won in extras and then earned a save on Wednesday against Philadelphia, his first in more than two weeks.
“The big man called in the middle of the eighth,” Cora said. “He made the call, I didn’t make the call, and he said, ‘I’m in.’ ”
Jansen entered the bases-loaded situation and promptly got Anthony Volpe to fly out.
“Guys grinded their butts off today,” Jansen said. “You see all your players hit all the cylinders and play great baseball and you want to be a part to stop the momentum from the other side so we could get that win.”
After Jansen’s big out in the eighth, the Red Sox added two more in the bottom of the inning when Rafaela hit a leadoff double, his third hit of the night, and Duran drove him in with a single. Rafaela has recorded multiple hits in three of his last four games and leads American League rookies with 56 hits. Duran advanced to third after a walk and double play, but his speed was a clear distraction and catcher Jose Trevino threw down to try to catch him off the bag. The throw sailed away and Duran scored the eighth run.
Jansen closed out the game quickly in the ninth for his 11th save.
The Red Sox began their toughest week of the season against the two best teams in baseball, taking two of three from the Phillies, and have split the first two games with the Yankees. It’s been a different atmosphere at Fenway Park over the last several days and it’s not just the rookies who’ve never experienced it before that are noticing.
“S—, this is the best rivalry ever in the game,” Jansen said. “I’m grateful to play in both rivalries. The Dodgers and the Giants, but you can’t compare this one. This is so much different. It’s unbelievable.”
Amid the up and down season in Boston, the Red Sox are riding the waves and trying to catch momentum to finally push past their .500 malaise. Perhaps a weekend like this one can help, but there have been too many false starts this year for guarantees.
“Regardless of where (the Yankees) are at and where we’re at, people care,” Cora said. “That’s the reason we play tonight (on national TV) and we’re playing tomorrow night.
“The last two days, you can feel it at Fenway, you can feel it,” he said. “And it’s been good.”
(Top photo of Masataka Yoshida sliding safely into home against the Yankees: Bob DeChiara / USA Today)
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Courtesy : https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5567509/2024/06/16/red-sox-win-against-yankees/