This year’s season series between the Yankees and Red Sox has been filled with quite a lot of annoying moments for the Bronx Bombers. There have been late blown leads, blowout losses, and games where the offense just can’t do anything at all.
A good way to ensure you don’t play another one of those is to take a nearly immediate lead and never really let Boston into the game. On Friday night, that’s what the Yankees did.
Following an early home run from Aaron Judge, the Yankees got a very good start
from Luis Gil on the mound, as last year’s Rookie of the Year did not allow a hit in the six innings he pitched. While the bullpen couldn’t quite keep up the no-hit bid, they did plenty enough to not let the Red Sox back into the game. In a year filled with plenty of Yankee frustration, any from this game would be on Boston’s side, as the Yankees held them at arm’s length for a 4-1 win.
Having gone deep twice on Thursday to tie Joe DiMaggio on the Yankees’ all-time home run, Judge didn’t take very long in going past him. In his first at-bat on Friday night, Judge demolished a ball over the Green Monster and out of Fenway Park to give the Yankees a quick lead.
Not quite as notable a mark, but the homer also set a new record for most home runs in a season in any inning.
Judge was also involved when the Yankees picked up another run in the third. While Lucas Giolito retired the first two hitters of the inning, Judge kept the frame alive by working a walk. After the Yankees then got more help thanks to Ben Rice reaching on catcher’s interference, Cody Bellinger punched through a single to plate Judge.
After Gil managed to keep the no-no going with a couple close calls in the fifth and sixth, the Yankees added on to their lead. With one out in the inning, José Caballero hit a ground-rule double. After using his speed to narrowly avoid getting picked off at second, Caballero stole third. That meant he came up running when Ryan McMahon hit a ground ball. It looked like Caballero was going to be thrown out at home, but David Hamilton’s throw wasn’t entirely clean, and Carlos Narváez couldn’t pick it and tag out Caballero. Then with two outs in the inning, Boston decided to intentionally walk Aaron Judge. While McMahon had already gone to second on the earlier error, the walk kept the inning alive for Rice, who added a single to score another run.
As his trouble with walks continued, Gil ended the sixth inning with over 90 pitches, leading to Aaron Boone going to his bullpen to start the seventh. In his outing, Gil allowed no runs on no hits, walking four with four strikeouts. It was far too inefficient a performance to make a serious run at a nine-inning no hitter, but obviously Gil was still very good.
Fernando Cruz came on for the seventh and got things started with a pair of strikeouts. However, Nate Eaton got him with a rocket off the Green Monster, ending the no-hitter and getting the Red Sox on the board.
The Yankees had a chance to answer right back in the top of the eighth, but Jazz Chisholm Jr. was annoyingly called out on a play at the plate. It looked dubious that Narváez actually managed to get the tag down on Chisholm, but the initial call was out and there apparently wasn’t enough evidence to overturn.
Devin Williams was called on for the eighth and did allow a lead-off single to Alex Bregman. However this time around, Williams did get through the rest of the inning cleanly, with a nice throw and grab from McMahon and Paul Goldschmidt respectively on a grounder.
Following a missed opportunity for some insurance in the top of the ninth, the Yankees brought on David Bednar for the bottom of the inning. He got through the frame with no issue whatsoever, giving the Yankees a much-needed win to open the set. Toronto’s win over Baltimore meant that New York couldn’t gain any ground in the AL East, but the extra game of distance over Boston is certainly appreciated.
With the Yankees finally off to a good note in a series against Boston, they’ll try and pick up another win tomorrow afternoon at 4:10 p.m. ET. Max Fried and Brayan Bello are expected to be the starting pitchers for the meeting.
