Red Sox and Yankees go to extra innings in Opening Day thriller
Opening Day between the Red Sox and Yankees didn’t disappoint from a drama standpoint. The two teams ended up playing 11 innings at Yankee Stadium on Friday, before New York eventually came away with a 6-5 win.
The Red Sox quickly jumped out to a 3-0 lead before Yankees starter Gerrit Cole could record an out. Kiké Hernandez drew a lead-off walk which was followed by a two-run home run from Rafael Devers. Xander Bogaerts then singled, and was driven in on an RBI double from J.D. Martinez.
In the bottom of the inning, the Yankees didn’t waste time responding. After retiring Josh Donaldson to start the frame, Red Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi gave up a single to Aaron Judge, and then a home run to Anthony Rizzo.
Both pitchers somewhat settled in after their rough first innings, and the game stayed 3-2 until the bottom of the fourth. Leading that inning off, Giancarlo Stanton homered off Eovaldi to tie the game at 3-3.
Eovaldia and Cole were both out of the game by the fifth inning. Eovaldi’s Opening Day line ended up being a three-run performance over five innings, while allowing five hits and striking out seven. Cole lasted four innings, allowing four hits and three runs with three strikeouts. Neither earned a decision.
A three-hit sixth inning got the Red Sox back in the lead. Bogaerts hit a leadoff double, then two batters later was driven in by Alex Verdugo to make it 4-3.
Pitching in relief of Eovaldi, Garrett Whitlock protected that lead for 2.1 innings while allowing just one hit and striking out four. However, the Yankees finally got to him in the bottom of the eighth, with D.J. LeMahieu hitting a solo shot to tie the game. That would be it for Whitlock, and both teams went down scoreless in the ninth to send the game to extras.
Once in extras, it was Bogaerts coming up big again. After Hernandez struck out, the Yankees intentionally walked Devers. That set Bogaerts up with runners on first and second (Jonathan Arauz was the ghost runner). Bogaerts lined a pitch from Yankees reliever Michael King into left field, and Arauz was able to score from second. That would be it for Bogaerts on the day, as he pulled up coming out of the batters box and was replaced by Arauz for the bottom of the inning.
In the bottom of the 10th, the Yankees were able to extend the game by playing small ball, capped by a sac fly from Gleyber Torres. It took the Red Sox two pitchers – Jake Diekman and Ryan Brasier – to get through the inning. That duo held the Yankees to just the one run, and the game moved on to the 11th.
After going scoreless in the top of the 11th, the Red Sox turned to rookie Kutter Crawford in the bottom half. Josh Donaldson singled off Crawford on the first at-bat, scoring Isiah Kiner-Falera to end the game.
Along with Bogaerts, who went 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored, Verdugo was the only other player on the Red Sox with multiple hits. He went 2-for-5 with an RBI. Trevor Story went 0-for-5 in his Red Sox debut.
The Red Sox will go for their first win of the season again tomorrow. They’ll send Nick Pivetta to the mound, with the Yankees going with Luis Severino.
NEXT: Xander Bogaerts on his contract situation
