New York Yankees

BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Red Sox designated hitter Masataka Yoshida’s two-run single up the middle highlighted a three-run eighth inning that helped Boston earn a 9-7, series-opening victory over the visiting New York Yankees on Friday night at Fenway.

The Red Sox rallied after back-to-back home runs by Aaron Judge and Austin Wells in the seventh gave the Yankees a 7-4 lead in the seventh inning. Judge bashed a go-ahead, three-run shot to deep center.

Starting the comeback in the bottom of the seventh, Ceddanne Rafaela crushed a two-run homer to deep left that scored Yoshida.

In the eighth, Boston put two on against reliever Luke Weaver (4-2) before Wilyer Abreu greeted reliever Clay Holmes with a game-tying single. That set up Yoshida for the game-deciding hit.

Rob Refsnyder finished with three hits, two runs and an RBI for the Red Sox, who have won two of three following a four-game skid.

Bailey Horn (1-1) earned his first major league win, and Kenley Jansen worked around two hits and struck out two in the ninth for his 20th save.

Wells and Gleyber Torres had three hits apiece for New York, which has lost three straight and five of the past six.

Tyler O’Neill’s sacrifice fly staked Boston to a 1-0 lead. Consecutive one-out singles by Refsnyder and Connor Wong and a walk to Rafael Devers loaded the bases before the RBI opportunity.

The visitors were not down for long, as Anthony Volpe crushed a two-out solo homer to straightaway center field to bring the Yankees even in the second.

A pair of one-out hits by Wong and Devers helped the Red Sox jump back in front in the third. After Wong doubled inside third base, Devers’ knock to left made it a 2-1 game.

It was more of the same for Boston in the fourth. Romy Gonzalez began the inning with an infield single before Jarren Duran’s knock moved him to third, while a second consecutive two-out hit by Refsnyder rolled to the left field wall for an RBI double.

The Yankees quickly responded with a two-run fifth to tie the game, getting an RBI double from Trent Grisham and a sacrifice fly from Alex Verdugo.

The hosts continued to put the pressure on in the bottom of the fifth, scoring a go-ahead run on Yoshida’s sacrifice fly following a walk to Devers and O’Neill’s double through the left side.

Boston reliever Zack Kelly was greeted rudely during the visitors’ four-run seventh, allowing the back-to-back homers.

–Field Level Media

BRONX (New York) – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Rafael Devers hit a tiebreaking home run with one out in the seventh inning and went deep again in the ninth as the surging Boston Red Sox recorded a 3-0 victory over the host New York Yankees on Sunday night.

Boston won for the sixth time in seven games and improved to 16-6 in its past 22 games. The Red Sox also beat the Yankees for the 12th time in the past 17 head-to-head meetings and sent New York to its 15th loss in 20 games overall.

Devers added to his resume against the Yankees when he belted a 2-2 fastball from New York starter Luis Gil (9-5) into the left-center-field seats to put Boston up 1-0 in the seventh. Devers was named to the American League All-Star team along with outfielder Jarren Duran and right-hander Tanner Houck earlier Sunday.

Devers connected again in the ninth, hammering an 0-1 fastball from Michael Tonkin into the New York bullpen.

Devers hit three homers in the series. He has 16 career home runs at Yankee Stadium and has smacked 28 overall against the Yankees.

BRONX (New York) – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The New York Yankees were hoping for improved production from the leadoff spot when rookie Ben Rice was moved up on Thursday.

A three-homer game probably wasn’t anticipated, but after Rice accomplished that feat on Saturday, the Yankees are in position to win their first series in over three weeks and hope to get rolling again when they face the Boston Red Sox on Sunday night in the Yankees’ final home game before the All-Star break.

After Rice homered three times in New York’s 14-4 rout on Saturday, New York is seeking consecutive victories for the first time since winning the first three games of a four-game series at Kansas City on June 10-13.

“Hopefully, it’s something that is a jump-start (for) us because it’s obviously not easy for us right now,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.

Rice was moved up to the leadoff spot to replace a struggling Anthony Volpe when the Yankees took an 8-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday. He hit his first career homer in that game and drove in seven runs on Saturday.

Rice was 1-for-9 in his first two games at the top of New York’s order before helping the Yankees win Saturday for just the fifth time in their past 19 games. He hit a leadoff homer, capped a seven-run fifth inning with a three-run homer, and added another three-run homer in the seventh to become the first Yankee rookie with three homers in one game.

BRONX, (New York) – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Three weeks ago, the New York Yankees rolled into Boston as the best team in baseball, cruised to an easy win and became the first club with 50 wins this year.

Since then, the Yankees have fallen into a deep slump and have lost their lead in the American League East. But they hope to return to their previous form when they host the Red Sox in the opener of a three-game series tonight.

The Yankees were 50-22 and held a 3 1/2-game lead on the Baltimore Orioles atop the AL East after beating the Red Sox 8-1 in a June 14 contest highlighted by Alex Verdugo’s return to Boston.

New York was outscored 17-7 in the last two games of the series, and those contests started their current 4-13 slide.

Heading into 12 straight games against division opponents bridging the All-Star break, the Yankees are coming off getting swept at home by the Cincinnati Reds. The Yankees never led in the three-game series, dropping the finale 8-4 on Thursday.

New York finished with seven hits, three from Verdugo. Juan Soto hit a two-run homer, and Austin Wells and rookie Ben Rice hit solo homers.

“Just not really clicking the way we were to start the season, just not going our way,” Yankees slugger Aaron Judge said. “It’s baseball. It’s a long season. You’re going to have a tough spell here and there.”

The Red Sox were a .500 team following the opener of the last series against the Yankees but are 12-4 since.

Boston has scored 87 runs (5.4 per game) in that span. The Red Sox extended their winning streak to four games when Tyler O’Neill capped a three-hit showing by getting a clutch double in the 12th inning of a 6-5 win over the host Miami Marlins on Thursday.

“It was a grinder but a good one,” manager Alex Cora said after the Red Sox survived going 4-for-18 with runners in scoring position. “It’s not that we played sloppy; they just played hard, too. I’m just glad we ended up winning the game, and we have to be ready for (Friday).”

Rafael Devers drove in two runs without getting a hit and is batting .378 (14-for-37) over his past 10 games. He also has 19 of his 51 RBIs in the past 16 games and is one hit shy of 1,000 for his career.

Nestor Cortes (4-7, 3.51 ERA) will start the series opener for the Yankees. The left-hander is 4-3 with a 1.84 ERA in nine home starts this season, 0-4 with a 5.63 ERA in his nine road starts.

Cortes is coming off his second set of consecutive losses this season. He allowed three runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings on Saturday in Toronto. He last pitched at home on June 23 against the Atlanta Braves, when he permitted three runs in seven innings.

Cortes has not faced the Red Sox this year. He is 2-0 with a 5.59 ERA in 10 career appearances (four starts) against them.

Tanner Houck (7-6, 2.67 ERA) will get the ball for Boston on Friday. The right-hander is 0-1 with a 5.94 ERA in his past three outings after earning four consecutive wins. Houck was shelled for eight runs (seven earned) on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings during an 11-1 loss to the visiting San Diego Padres on Saturday.

Houck, who is set for his first outing against the Yankees this year, is 3-2 with a 2.06 ERA in 12 career appearances (seven starts) vs. New York.

–Field Level Media

BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Tyler O’Neill and Jarren Duran each collected two hits and scored twice as the Boston Red Sox beat the visiting New York Yankees 8-4 on Saturday night.

O’Neill scored in each of the first two innings, as Boston built a 5-2 lead. He had an RBI double in the first and singled in the second. Duran doubled in the first, hit an RBI single in the eighth and scored in each inning.

Juan Soto hit a solo home run for the Yankees — his 18th of the season – off reliever Justin Slaten (4-2). Giancarlo Stanton had two of New York’s six hits.

Boston’s Kenley Jansen recorded the final four outs to earn his 11th save.

New York starter Carlos Rodon (9-3) exited after throwing 109 pitches in five innings. The left-hander gave up five runs on seven hits, walked three and struck out seven.

Ceddanne Rafaela had three of Boston’s 12 hits.

The Red Sox hit three doubles in the bottom of the first, when they took a 3-0 lead. In addition to O’Neill’s RBI double, Boston received an RBI single from Connor Wong and an RBI double from Jamie Westbrook.

The Yankees cut Boston’s lead to 3-2 when DJ LeMahieu’s two-run single drove in Stanton and Anthony Rizzo in the top of the second, but Boston regained a three-run lead when Rafael Devers hit a two-run double in the bottom half of the second.

Boston starter Cooper Criswell gave up two runs on three hits in four innings, notching six strikeouts and issuing two walks.

The Yankees trailed 5-3 after Soto’s home run in the seventh.

Boston added to its lead in its half of the seventh. Masataka Yoshida hit a two-out, ground-rule double and scored when pinch hitter Enmanuel Valdez singled to center.

Rizzo scored on a fielder’s choice to make it a 6-4 game in the eighth, but the Yankees stranded runners on first and third when Jansen retired Anthony Volpe for the final out in the inning.

Duran’s RBI single drove in Rafaela to put the Red Sox in front 7-4 in the bottom of the eighth, before Duran made it 8-4 when he scored from third on catcher Jose Trevino’s errant pickoff throw.

–Field Level Media

BOSTON – After a series victory over the National League-leading Philadelphia Phillies, the Boston Red Sox will look to continue the momentum against the American League-leading New York Yankees as a three-game set begins Friday night. The AL East archrivals will be meeting for the first time this season. The series opener in Boston will be the 70th game for the Red Sox and the 72nd for the Yankees.

The Red Sox have won three of their past four games after winning the final two games of the three-game series against the Phillies. Tyler O’Neill hit a three-run home run while Jarren Duran and Enmanuel Valdez hit two doubles apiece to power Boston to a 9-3 win on Thursday.

“We’ve got a good team,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “We’re gonna lose some games and we’re gonna win some games. I know everybody thought the must-win was Sunday in Chicago (against the White Sox) because they have the worst record in baseball. We don’t see it that way. We show up every day and work hard.”

The Red Sox had 14 hits in the finale against Philadelphia, including five straight during a four-run second inning against Phillies ace Aaron Nola. Duran, whose two-run double capped the frame, produced his seventh game with multiple extra-base hits this season.

“We were finding barrels and hitting the ball hard,” O’Neill said. “It was awesome to see.”

Brayan Bello (6-3, 4.78 ERA) is scheduled to start for Boston on Friday. He took a loss Saturday against the White Sox after allowing five runs on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Bello is 2-2 with a 1.45 ERA in five career starts against New York.

The Yankees’ four-game winning streak was snapped with a 4-3, walk-off loss to the Kansas City Royals on Thursday. New York also saw its eight-game road win streak come to an end.

Kansas City was up 2-0 until Anthony Rizzo homered, Anthony Volpe drove in a run with a groundout and Juan Soto hit an RBI single to put New York in front in a three-run eighth.

“All losses hurt, especially when you’re up and you’re leading, but then again, (the Royals) are also professionals,” New York left-hander Nestor Cortes said after his Thursday start.

The Red Sox will face Yankees right-hander Luis Gil (8-1, 2.04 ERA), who had won seven straight starts before taking a no-decision Sunday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He allowed three runs on five hits with five strikeouts and a walk in 5 2/3 innings during his latest outing.

“In the small time I’ve seen him, he lives for those moments,” Yankees star Aaron Judge said. “I look forward to more.”

The Yankees are 11-2 in Gil’s starts this season. He had thrown at least six innings and given up no more than one run in each of his previous seven outings, a feat that no Yankees pitcher had accomplished.

With Gil returning from Tommy John surgery, his innings — currently at 75 — are being monitored.

“We’re not putting any kind of a limit on him, but there may be a natural one that happens,” New York manager Aaron Boone said. “But I don’t necessarily think that’s our expectation.”

 

NASHVILLE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The New York Yankees added an outfielder from their fiercest rival on Tuesday, acquiring Alex Verdugo from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for three right-handed pitchers as the MLB Winter Meetings are underway.

Boston got Greg Weissert and minor-leaguers Richard Fitts and Nicholas Judice in the swap.

Verdugo, 27, is arguably better known for how he got to Boston rather than anything he has accomplished on the field. He, catcher Connor Wong and infielder Jeter Downs were acquired in the February 2020 deal that sent superstar Mookie Betts and left-hander David Price to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In four years with the Red Sox, Verdugo hit a composite .281 with a .338 on-base percentage, a .424 slugging percentage, 43 homers and 206 RBIs. He played 142 games in 2023, batting .264/.324/.421 with 13 home runs and 54 RBIs.

Counting the three seasons he spent with the Dodgers, Verdugo has a career .281/.337/.428 batting line with 57 home runs and 255 RBIs in 651 games.

Primarily a corner outfielder, Verdugo also has seen time in center field. He could be a free agent following the upcoming season.

Weissert, 28, made 17 relief appearances for the Yankees this year, netting no decisions and a 4.05 ERA. He broke into the majors with 12 games out of the New York bullpen in 2022, when he finished 3-0 with a 5.56 ERA.

Fitts, 23, spent the 2023 season in Double-A, where he went 11-5 with a 3.48 ERA in 27 starts. He was a sixth-round draft pick in 2021 out of Auburn.

Judice, 22, has yet to make his pro debut after New York selected him in the eighth round of the 2023 draft out of UL-Monroe.

The Red Sox and Yankees have come together for just eight trades since 1969, according to MLB.com.

–Field Level Media

BOSTON – (Staff Report) –  In the first game of their doubleheader against the New York Yankees, the Sox snapped a two-game losing streak and improved to 9-3 against New York this season. The 5-0 win marked Boston’s fourth shutout this season and was their first shutout over the Yankees since August 14, 2022, a win which also came at Fenway Park (3-0).

Boston starting pitcher Tanner Houck (5-9) recorded the win, his first scoreless start since April 16, 2022. Houck went 6.0 innings, allowing only four hits and three walks while striking out seven.

The Red Sox have held the Yankees to three or fewer earned runs in 11 of their 12 games and have outscored the Yankees 62-31 over their 12 meetings this year.

Boston centerfielder Ceddanne Rafaela went 2-for-4 with a double and solo home run. He became the first Red Sox batter in club history to record a 2B and HR in back-to-back games within their first 14 career MLB games.

Rookie outfielder Wilyer Abreau went 3-for-4 with a run scored, an RBI and a stolen base. He is batting .362 in 16 games (10 starts) sincfe making his debut in the Majors on August 22.

The Yankees have lost eight of their last 13 games at Fenway and are 3-9 vs Boston this season. The game marked New York being the victim of nine shut-outs this season. Michael King took the loss (4-6).

Unmasked: NY Yankees Take Two in Day/Night Twin Bill

BOSTON: (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The four-game series between the Boston Red Sox and the visiting New York Yankees this week is a battle between the bottom two teams in the American League East — not the normal spot for two perennial contenders.

After being swept in a day-night doubleheader on Tuesday to begin the set, Boston will look to grab a win Wednesday to avoid falling into last place in the division. Both teams are currently 73-72.

“Tough season for both of us, let’s be honest,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “They’ve had their things, and with us, I know before the season not too many people thought we were going to be in the playoff hunt, but we believed. Things haven’t gone our way.”

Things sure didn’t go Boston’s way on Tuesday, as the Red Sox went 0-for-19 with runners in scoring position and were held to three runs on 13 hits over the two games.

The Yankees won the first game 3-2 and the nightcap 4-1.

Among the few highlights of the twin bill for Boston was the continued emergence of rookie Ceddanne Rafaela, who hit his first career homer in the second game.

Rafaela, 22, started at shortstop in Game 1 and in center field in Game 2. According to Elias Sports Bureau, only one player in Red Sox history (Felix Mantilla in 1964) did that previously in a doubleheader.

In addition to improved plate discipline, “the fact that he can be versatile (opens up multiple possibilities),” Cora said of Rafaela. “Versatility is a big part of this game. It helps your roster. He’s a good defender at short, at center field and other positions.”

Boston right-hander Tanner Houck (4-9, 5.28 ERA) is scheduled to start on Wednesday. He allowed five runs in 5 1/3 innings on Friday against the Baltimore Orioles while marking his fourth appearance since returning from a facial fracture that kept him off the field for more than two months.

Houck has enjoyed success against the Yankees in his career, going 2-2 with a 2.39 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 37 2/3 innings over 11 games (six starts). This year, he has no decisions and a 2.70 ERA two starts vs. New York.

After its first doubleheader sweep at Fenway Park in 17 years, New York is 11-4 over its past 15 games. The Yankees broke a seven-game head-to-head skid against Boston.

The Game 2 win was Aaron Boone’s 500th as Yankees manager.

New York was successful in key situations on Tuesday. Gleyber Torres’ go-ahead, two-run single in the sixth inning was one of only five Yankees hits in the opener.

In the nightcap, the Yankees scored two runs in the ninth to clinch the win.

“The end of the season is about having the discipline to go out there and still be at your sharpest and put your best foot forward,” said catcher Kyle Higashioka, who went 3-for-4 in Game 1. “At this point, we’ve got to show some character and finish strong, no matter what the circumstances are.”

Clarke Schmidt (9-8, 4.54 ERA) will start for the Yankees on Wednesday. He was originally set to pitch Monday before the start of the series was delayed due to rain.

Schmidt earned a victory on Sept. 6 against the Detroit Tigers, striking out six over 6 1/3 innings of three-run ball. The 27-year-old right-hander has allowed three or fewer runs in all but one of his past 19 starts while working at least five innings 16 times during that span.

“On the whole, he’s just gotten to be a much better pitcher, more polished pitcher,” Boone said last week. “I think he’s proven that he can be a starter in this league. I think he’s really got a grasp of his arsenal and how to use it and where to use it.”

Schmidt is 0-1 with a 4.03 ERA in seven appearances (three starts) against the Red Sox in his career. In three starts vs. Boston this year, he has no decisions and a 2.87 ERA.

–Field Level Media

First Game Story:

BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – A three-run sixth inning lifted the visiting New York Yankees to a 3-2 win over the Boston Red Sox in Tuesday afternoon’s opener of a day-night doubleheader.

Kyle Higashioka had three hits and Gleyber Torres hit a two-run single to lead the Yankees (72-72), who won their second straight following a three-game skid. DJ LeMahieu doubled and scored a run for New York.

Right-hander Jhony Brito (7-7) earned the win after working around three hits in 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief as the last-place Yankees moved within a game of the fourth-place Red Sox.

Rafael Devers hit his 30th home run of the season for the Red Sox (73-71), while Triston Casas had three hits with a double and a run.

New York closer Clay Holmes walked three straight Boston batters with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but Alex Verdugo grounded into a game-ending double play for Holmes’ 19th save.

Right-hander Nick Pivetta (9-9) took the loss despite striking out seven of the first 10 batters he faced and finishing with 10 strikeouts across 5 1/3 innings. Higashioka’s two-out single in the third was the first Yankees hit.

New York starter Randy Vasquez allowed only one hit — a Casas leadoff single in the second — before Devers began the fourth with a first-pitch solo homer to right-center.

Casas wound up scoring the second Boston run after his one-out double in the fourth, moving to third on a ground ball and crossing the plate after a wild pitch.

The Yankees batted around and forced Pivetta out of the game in the midst of a three-run sixth that began when Everson Pereira was hit by a pitch.

Higashioka followed with his second hit before LeMahieu lined an RBI double to left, making it a 2-1 game. Two batters later, New York took a 3-2 lead as Torres shot a two-run single inside the first base bag.

A walk ended Pivetta’s day and reliever Mauricio Llovera stranded the bases loaded to keep the hosts within a run.

The Boston bullpen held the game there, including John Schreiber striking out the side in the ninth to cap two scoreless innings.

Three New York relievers allowed just one combined hit after Vasquez and Brito worked the first six frames.

Vasquez allowed two runs on three hits and struck out three over 3 2/3 innings.

–Field Level Media