By: Harold Klapper
On August 2nd, 2018 the Yankees traveled to Fenway for a pivotal four game series against their arch rivals. Coming into this series, the Yankees were 68-38 and the Red Sox were 75-34. The race was definitely not over yet, and the Yankees could’ve pulled to only a game and a half behind the Sox had they won all four games. Instead, the Red Sox swept the Yankees and took command of the AL East during this crucial matchup. Here’s a game by game breakdown of this pivotal series in The Rivalry:
Game 1: Red Sox defeat the Yankees 15-7.
Didi Gregorius started the scoring in Game 1 by hitting a three run blast in the first inning off Red Sox pitcher Brian Johnson. His home run seemed to have set the tone for the game and after the first few innings it looked like the Yankees could remain in control. This all changed in the 4th inning. The Red sox scored 8 runs in the fourth and continued to add on to their lead as they ended up scoring 15 runs with 19 hits in total. The hero of the game was the newly acquired Red Sox player Steve Pearce who hit three home runs and led the Red Sox to their first victory in the series.
Game 2: Red Sox defeat the Yankees 4-1.
Game 2 was all about Rick Porcello. In the best pitching performance he’s ever had, and one of the best to happen at Fenway in recent years, Porcello pitched a complete game, and only allowed one hit. Porcello allowed no walks and faced 29 batters, two above the minimum, with only 86 pitches thrown. The only Yankees hit was a home run by Miguel Andujar, but other than that, Porcello threw a perfect game. His performance was remarkable and came at a much needed time as each win the Red Sox got pushed them farther ahead of the Yankees in the standings.
Game 3: Red Sox defeat the Yankees 4-1.
Game 3 was similar to game 2 in which the Red Sox had amazing starting pitching. Nathan Eovaldi, in his second start with the Red Sox, pitched 8 scoreless innings allowing only three hits. Along with his great performance the Red Sox managed to score 4 runs with help from Mitch Moreland and JD Martinez. Game 3 showed the continued strength of the Red Sox starting pitchers but it also set up the question: Could the Red Sox sweep?
Game 4: Red Sox defeat the Yankees 5-4.
In the final game of the series the Yankees took a 4-1 lead in the 7th after being down by one run for two innings. Surely enough, in the ninth inning, the Red Sox miraculously rallied for three runs to send the game into extra innings. With two outs in the 10th, Andrew Benintendi hit a bouncing ground ball towards right field which was just out of reach of Gleyber Torres. The runner on third came home and the Red Sox completed the four game sweep of the Yankees, essentially locking up the AL East and setting a tone for a potential playoff series against their rivals.
This series definitely made the Yankees look like the Bronx Brooms and not the Bronx Bombers.
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