G25: Red Sox 8, Yankees 7

Yankees - 003 030 010 - 7  9  2
Red Sox - 103 020 20x - 8 14  0

SWEEP! And the Red Sox take possession of first place, with the Yankees a season-worst 6 GB!

            W   L   PCT   GB    RS   RA   DIFF
Red Sox    15  10  .600  ---   134  112   + 22
Orioles    14  10  .583  0.5   109   93   + 16
Blue Jays  12  14  .462  3.5   105  103   +  2
Rays       11  13  .458  3.5    77   85   -  8
Yankees     8  15  .348  6.0    81  112   - 31

With the score tied 6-6 in the bottom of the seventh, Boston had Brock Holt on first with two outs. New York manager Joe Girardi went to his bullpen, calling on Dellin Betances. The move did not work out the way Girardi had hoped. Betances threw one pitch to Christian Vazquez. BAM! Two-run homer over everything in left. 8-6, Red Sox.

Red Sox hitting coach Chili Davis:

Just trying to get him aggressive. Just basically said, "Hey, I don't think this guy is going to respect you. He's going to come right at you early. Let it go. Let it fire." Just trying to get him aggressive early in the at-bat, which he was. He got the first-pitch heater and he jumped on it.

From there, Koji Uehara and Craig Kimbrel held the line (along Koji's wild pitch in the eighth did bring in an enemy run). Kimbrel gave us a drama-free ninth, striking out two of his three batters, including Brett Gardner to end the game. (Alex Rodriguez, who doubled and homered and drove in four runs, was left on-deck.)

David Price (7-8-6-1-3, 100) did not pitch well, but people like Dave O'Brien can (and will) express awe at his undefeated record of 4-0. Let's not forget that Price's ERA, after six starts, is 6.14.

But let's also note that when the Yankees scored three runs in each of the third and fifth innings, taking the lead both times, the Red Sox immediately answered with runs of their own.

Singles by Dustin Pedroia (who had his fifth three-hit game of the season) and Xander Bogaerts and a walk to David Ortiz loaded the bases for the Red Sox with one down in the fourth. Hanley Ramirez delivered a two-run single to center, tying the game at 3-3. Holt's single made it 4-3.

In the fifth, it was Travis Shaw (after striking out in his first two at-bats) hitting a two-run homer down the right field line to wipe out New York's 6-4 lead.

Eight different Red Sox players scored a run; only Jackie Bradley did not touch the plate, though he did single, walk, and steal a base.

Also: The Yankees went 160 innings without scoring more than two runs in any inning. That streak, the third-longest in franchise history, ended in the third inning tonight. The streak began way back on April 9 (the fifth game of the season):

April  9 - 110 420 000    - Won 8-4
April 12 - 010 001 100    - Won 3-2
April 13 - 000 010 010    - Lost 2-7
April 14 - 000 200 000    - Lost 2-4
April 15 - 100 000 000    - Lost 1-7
April 16 - 001 000 100    - Lost 2-3
April 17 - 021 010 00x    - Won 4-3
April 19 - 100 010 000 00 - Lost 2-3
April 20 - 010 000 010    - Lost 2-5
April 21 - 010 100 100    - Lost 3-7
April 22 - 020 011 02x    - Won 6-3
April 23 - 100 000 101    - Won 3-2
April 24 - 000 100 000    - Lost 1-8
April 25 - 002 001 000    - Won 3-1
April 26 - 000 000 100    - Lost 1-10
April 27 - 010 100 000    - Lost 2-3
April 29 - 010 010 000    - Lost 2-4
April 30 - 000 000 000    - Lost 0-8
May 1    - 003 030 010    - Lost 7-8

The Yankees' longest such streak is 268 innings (September 1 to October 1, 1969). They also had a 196-inning streak in 1908.

Nathan Eovaldi / David Price

Betts, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Bogaerts, SS
Ortiz, DH
Ramirez, 1B
Shaw, 3B
Holt, LF
Vazquez, C
Bradley, CF

Yesterday's 8-0 win was the most decisive shutout over the MFY at Fenway Park since a 10-0 whitewash on August 2, 1973. Carl Yastrzemski (4-for-4) had as many hits as the entire Yankees lineup and Roger Moret went the distance.

Since Fenway opened in 1912, the Red Sox have shutout the visiting Yankees 47 times (see a list of the 45 games since 1913 here). Most runs by the Red Sox? On May 30, 1941, Boston beat New York 13-0 in the second game of a doubleheader.