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Archives for September 12, 2025

Yankees Take Sox, Take Charge, Take Game and a Half Advantage

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BOSTON – (Staff Report) – In mid-September baseball with a postseason berth on the line, lethargic, pathetic, error-filled and one run producing baseball is not the remedy for a win. Not in the opening game, an important game in an important three-game, weekend series for the Boston Red Sox against the New York Yankees – on September 12th.

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The Red Sox game line read: 1 – 2 – 3 … that’s one run, two hits and three errors. The final score? New York 4, Boston 1.

How is it possible to compete while going hitless through six innings at Fenway Park – a bandbox full of run producing delicacies.

Not tonight.

The first glitch was Sox starter Lucas Giolito grooving a 92-mph four seamer down the Mass Turnpike which New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge whacked 468-feet, at the least, for a 1-0 NYY lead in the first inning.

Judge’s homer was his 362 career HR, passing the legendary Joe DiMaggio for the fourth most homers in New York Yankees franchise history. Judge trails only Babe Ruth (659), Mickey Mantle (536) and Lou Gehrig (493) in NYY franchise home runs.

Judge’s first inning homer also marked the 46th Yankees homer in the opening frame, leading the Majors this season and tying the Cincinnati Reds of 2019 for second-most of any team in the last 75 years. Only the Atlanta Braves are ahead of New York when the Braves concluded the season with 47 in 2023.

Sox bats were asleep at the wheel.

Besides the lackluster effort at the plate, the Red Sox also put a final boxscore in the Elias Sports Bureau records that tallied – let us count the ways – 1). A catcher’s interference error by Carlos Narvaez led directly to NY right-fielder Cody Bellinger’s base hit to allow Judge to score the second run. That was 2-zip, after three.

Fielding and throwing errors?  Sox second baseman David Hamilton scratched out both.

It was all too much to overcome Luis Gil’s no-hit effort through six innings pitched. Gil allowed no hits, no runs while walking four and striking out four. After the six innings and 93 pitches (54 strikes), Gil gave way to RHP Fernando Cruz who lost the team no hitter when Boston right fielder Nate Eaton homered to left field in the seventh inning (3-1, NY).

It all added up to Boston losing the second straight game, losing their seventh game of the last 10 at Fenway Park (since 8-17-25) which comes after winning nine of the previous 10 games in Boston (July 26-to-August 16.

Gil was credited with the win and is (4-1) on the season while Giolito (10-4) took the loss. New York’s reliever, David Bednar, earned his 23rd save of the season.

Interestingly, Giolito is now (5-1) in his last seven home starts, pitching at an incredible 0.80 ERA. He has allowed only one or zero earned runs over 5.2 IP in those seven games. Over his last 17 starts, Giolito is (9-3) with a 2.29 ERA and a .211 opponent batting average.

That wasn’t good enough for tonight and the Red Sox will now rely upon RHP Brayan Bello (11-6) to pitch Saturday and ace LHP Garrett Crochet (15-5) to throw vs. New York on Sunday. The Yankees will counter with ace LHP Max Fried (16-5) on Saturday and RHP Will Warren (8-6) to go Sunday.

The Yankees are now a game and a half ahead of Boston in the AL East standings with the same lead in the American League Wild Card race. Seattle holds the final Wild Card slot and leads the Texas Rangers by 1.5 games.

 

Yanks Invade Fenway for Weekend

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Preview) – Two big rivals, one big series this weekend in Boston.

With just a half-game separating them behind the first-place Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East standings, the New York Yankees (81-65) and Boston Red Sox (81-66) begin their final head-to-head set of the regular season Friday night.

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The Red Sox have missed the playoffs in three straight and five of the last six seasons, meaning that series of this magnitude between the two have been few and far between of late. It didn’t take Boston newcomer Alex Bregman long to figure out the meaning, especially in the midst of a playoff chase.

“It’s so cool playing against those guys,” the third baseman said to USA Today. “Just fun games, pressure-packed, great environment. It was a lot of fun living out that childhood dream, watching those games on TV and watching them play in October.”

Boston’s three-out-of-four series victory in the Bronx last month (Aug. 21-24) marked Bregman’s first taste of the rivalry. He went 7-for-16 after being sidelined for the teams’ first six games against each other back in June.

The Red Sox settled for spitting a six-game road trip following Wednesday’s 5-4 walk-off loss to the Athletics. The game ended with closer Aroldis Chapman allowing two hits and his first run since July 23.

“At one point, he was going to give it up,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “It just happened that it was (Wednesday). … We’re going home now. Just be ready for Friday.”

Now, right-hander Lucas Giolito (10-3, 3.38 ERA) will take the mound back at home.

Giolito allowed four runs (two earned) on seven hits across five innings in last Saturday’s loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. He had won his two prior starts, including eight shutout innings against the Baltimore Orioles on Aug. 26.

Giolito is 3-2 with a 4.99 ERA in six career starts against New York.

While the Red Sox had Thursday off, the Yankees blitzed the Detroit Tigers 9-3 to avoid losing three in a row.

Massachusetts native Cam Schlittler pitched six innings of one-run ball.

Aaron Judge (3-for-4, two home runs) and Boston-area youngster Ben Rice (two doubles, RBI) helped support Schlittler’s effort. Judge tied Joe DiMaggio for fourth on the Yankees’ all-time home run list (361).

“Everybody had each other’s back,” Judge said. “We knew we had (Schlittler) on the mound, who wasn’t gonna give up too many runs. Just have to get one or two runs for a guy like that. It was a big day.”

New York banged out 14 hits, including two more from Jose Caballero, who made a second straight start in Anthony Volpe’s place.

Volpe (.206 average) had a cortisone shot in his left shoulder Wednesday, but Yankees manager Aaron Boone expects him “to be OK in the next couple days.”

“Obviously, we’re down to the end, and as I’ve said, it’s kind of all hands on deck, and do what we think is best, day in, day out,” Boone said.

Meanwhile, New York starting pitchers have allowed two or fewer earned runs in 15 of the team’s last 17 games. Right-hander Luis Gil (3-1, 3.31) looks to keep that streak going for a sixth consecutive start Friday. He is 1-1 with a 1.27 ERA in four career starts against the Red Sox.

Gil beat Toronto last Saturday by working around four walks to allow just one run over six innings.

“Hopefully, we can just start to build where the command and control is there with the stuff following,” Boone said.

–Field Level Media