Yankees-Red Sox: Bombers Open Series with Slugfest, Win 10-8 at Fenway Park
July 6, 2012 · Doug Rush · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
No lead is ever safe in Fenway Park when the Yankees and Red Sox play.
They have two high-scoring offenses, and when you add that element in a ballpark that can see a lot of runs put on the board, it makes for some entertaining baseball.
The first game of the four-game series between the Yankees and Red Sox was no different on Friday night at Yawkey Way in Boston.
Hiroki Kuroda was on the mound for the Yankees while Josh Beckett was on the hill for the Red Sox.
The Yankees wasted no time getting to Beckett, as he had a ton of trouble in the first inning.
He walked Cano with the bases loaded, which made it 1-0.
Mark Teixeira hit a two-run single to center field, which made it 3-0.
Nick Swisher hit a sacrifice fly to right, which made it 4-0.
Eric Chavez also hit a sacrifice fly to center, making it 5-0 Yankees.
Normally, a five-run lead is a good cushion for a starting pitcher, but not in Fenway.
Kuroda gave the runs right back in the first, as Ryan Kalish hit a sac fly to make it 5-1.
Adrian Gonzalez hit an RBI double to make it 5-2.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia then hit a three-run home run to right field, which tied the game at 5-5.
One inning, 10 runs. This is what Fenway can do for an offense.
In the top of the second, Alex Rodriguez hit an RBI groundout to shortstop, giving the Yankees the lead again, 6-5.
The lead was short-lived, though, for the Bombers in the second, as David Ortiz hit an RBI single to left, tying the game at 6-6.
Two innings, 12 runs. Not exactly a good night for pitching coaches.
In the bottom of the fifth, Boston got its first and only lead of the game when Mauro Gomez hit an RBI single to make it 7-6 Red Sox.
In the top of the seventh, the Yankees were able to get to Andrew Miller and Vicente Padilla. Teixeira hit an RBI triple to deep center field, scoring two, and the Yankees re-claimed the lead 8-7.
Raul Ibanez’s RBI double made it 9-7, and then Eric Chavez’s RBI single made it 10-7 Yankees.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Cody Ross hit a towering solo home run to left field that cut the lead to 10-8, but that was all Boston could get.
The Yankees’ bullpen was able to shut down the Red Sox’s offense. Cody Eppley, David Robertson and Rafael Soriano took care of the final three innings, and the Yankees hung on to win 10-8.
Boone Logan (4-0) got the win for the Yankees, while Miller (2-1) took the loss for Boston. Soriano picked up his 20th save.
Neither starter was good, but both were able to pitch at least five innings.
Beckett lasted just five innings, allowing eight hits and six runs, walking two and striking out five.
Kuroda lasted 5.2 innings, allowing 10 hits and six runs, walking one and striking out three.
Friday night’s game came down to which offense was going to out-slug the other and which bullpen could get the big stops, and the Yankees came up big in both areas.
The Yankees’ seventh inning was the deciding factor in the game, scoring big runs off Miller and Padilla; Teixeira’s two-run triple to center was the turning point of the game.
The Yankees pick up their 50th win of the 2012 season and move to 50-32 overall, while Boston loses its fourth in a row and drops to 42-41.
On Saturday, the Yankees and Red Sox will play a day-night double-header at Fenway Park.
The first game will kick off at 12:35 p.m. ET. Phil Hughes (9-6, 4.29) will start for the Yankees, while Franklin Morales (1-1, 2.51) will start for Boston. The game is a make-up from the rain-out of April 22.
Then in the second game at 7:15 p.m. ET, Freddy Garcia (2-2, 5.94) will start for New York, while Felix Doubront (8-4, 4.42) will pitch for Boston. The second game will be broadcast on national TV on FOX.
The Yankees are now 3-0 against the Red Sox and are also 3-0 against Boston at Fenway Park in 2012.
So far, the Yankees have out-slugged Boston this season, have gotten the bigger hits when needed and their bullpen has been a deciding factor, coming up with clutch outs and ending potential Red Sox rallies.
Can the Yankees continue their impressive play and dominance against the Red Sox in this series?
Stay tuned, Yankees Universe.
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