Yankees - 011 000 001 - 3 7 0 Red Sox - 002 030 00x - 5 9 1Andrew Benintendi went 3-for-3 and scored twice and Dustin Pedroia drove in three runs with a pair of doubles. Rick Porcello (8-7-2-1-6, 110) turned in another strong outing. Craig Kimbrel nearly threw it all away in the ninth inning, walking four of the six batters he faced before Matt Barnes struck out Mark Teixeira with the bases loaded to end the game.
Porcello allowed five of his seven hits in the first three innings. A leadoff single in the first did no harm, but doubles by Starlin Castro and Chase Headley in the second gave the Yankees their first run. Brett Gardner doubled to start the third and scored on Brian McCann's single to put New York up 2-0.
The Red Sox got to Luis Severino (4.1-7-5-0-3, 85) in the bottom of the third. Benintendi singled to left and went to third on Mookie Betts's double off the Wall. Pedroia followed with a game-tying, two-run double into the right field corner.
In the fifth, Sandy Leon tripled to right as the ball skipped past Aaron Hicks in the corner. Benintendi then drove a ball to dead center that hit the yellow line on the Wall. Leon scored to give the Red Sox a lead they would not relinquish. The play was initially called a double, then the umpires changed it to a home run. Benintendi circled the bases and received congratulations in the dugout on his first major league dong. But Yankees manager Joe Girardi challenged that call and, after an extremely long wait, the call was reversed. The ruling was that unlike the foul lines and foul poles, hitting the yellow line means the ball is still "in play" and to be a home run, the ball has to clearly hit to the right of the line. (However, there was a question of whether the ball caromed off the Wall onto the center field ledge, which may have meant it was gone.)
On NESN, both Dave O'Brien and Jerry Remy had absolutely no idea about this Fenway Park ground rule. Good work, guys.
So with the Red Sox rookie back on second, Betts grounded back to the mound before Pedroia doubled to the gap in right-center. After Girardi went to his bullpen, calling on former Boston pitcher Tommy Layne, David Ortiz singled off the Wall and Pedroia's scored the fifth run for the Red Sox.
Jackie Bradley may have saved the team's bacon in the seventh. Headley hit a ball off the Wall in left-center than caromed off the top of the scoreboard. Bradley chased the ball back towards center field, grabbed it, turned and fired a perfect throw to third, where Brock Holt put the tag on Headley. It was an amazing throw and gave Bradley his 11st assist of the year.
Porcello had some words for Headley and pointed to his eyes (was Porcello calling Headley out for sneaking looks at the catcher at the plate to get pitch location?) and a now-angry Headley started towards the mound. Benches and bullpens emptied but nothing much happened beyond some shouting. No one was ejected. With two outs, Travis Shaw made an error and Gardner doubled for his third hit. Porcello bore down and retired Jacoby Ellsbury on a fly to right.
Kimbrel struggled in the ninth, throwing 37 pitches (21 balls and 16 strikes). He needed eight pitches to strike out Didi Gregorius and then he issued a full-count walk to Headley. During these at-bats, the Fenway crowd was chanting "We Want A-Rod". Gary Sanchez hit a bullet right at Benintendi in left for the second out. Then the "fun" began. Hicks walked on seven pitches. Manager John Farrell probably should have made a move at this point, but he instead sent pitching coach Carl Willis out to chat. To say what - "Yo, stop walking guys"?
After Willis's advice, Kimbrel promptly fell behind Gardner 3-0 before walking him and loading the bases. Still no sign of Farrell. Ellsbury then walked on seven pitches, forcing in a run, which is (apparently) when it is okay to remove your closer. And so Barnes came in and got Teixeira looking at a 2-2 strike to end the game. Saves are stupid, but holds are even dumber - and Kimbrel picked up his first hold of the season for his superlative work in holding onto his team's lead.
Benintendi also singled in the seventh, making him 8-for-16 in his short career. His OPS of 1.063 is higher than Ortiz's 1.013!
Betts, RFThe Red Sox are not planning any ceremonies for the soon-to-be retired Alex Rodriguez.
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Ramirez, 1B
Bradley, CF
Shaw, 3B
Holt, SS
Leon, C
Benintendi, LF
Kevin Millar, on the reception that Slappy McBluelips will receive: "Boo. Boo. Boo. You won't see a standing ovation. You'll see 'boo.' This is still a rivalry. If you wear the pinstripes and you come to Fenway Park, you're getting booed."
Hal Steinbrenner would not rule out a tribute to Alex Rodriguez in Monument Park. "He's done a lot for this organization on the field through the years, but also off the field that people don't know about. He's been a great mentor."
Anthony McCarron, Daily News: "Why A-Rod's No. 13 Should Hang In Monument Park"
Elias:
ReplyDeleteBrandon Crawford went 7-for-8 in the Giants' 14-inning win in Miami on Monday, tying the National League record for hits in one game, set by Baltimore's Wilbert Robinson in 1892 and tied by Pittsburgh's Rennie Stennett in 1975. The major-league record for hits in a game is nine (in 11 at-bats), by Cleveland's Johnny Burnett in 1932.
The Cardinals trailed the Reds with two outs in the ninth inning, 4-0, but came storming back to win, 5-4, with the tying run scoring on a bases-loaded walk and the winning run when Yadier Molina was hit by a pitch.
Was at the Blue Jays/Rays game last night with some friends from Vermont who were on a baseball road trip (8 or 9 games (majors and minors) in 11 days).
ReplyDeleteAlmost 44,000 at Skydome, don't think I've ever seen it so crowded before. Sadly, TOR won.
It was the first of my two games this year. Also going to see Flo and the Red Sox on September 9.
"On NESN, both Dave O'Brien and Jerry Remy had absolutely no idea about this Fenway Park ground rule. Good work, guys." Exactly. Their commentary was appalling. I just reviewed the archived mlb.com feed of the Yankees' television announcers, and they correctly noted, immediately, that it would be a home run if it hit to the right of the yellow line. Although - despite showing numerous slow motion replays of the ball seeming to hit the center field ledge next - they failed to mention that.
ReplyDeleteTo clarify, is a ball that first hits the Green Monster to the left of or on the yellow line and next hits on top of the ledge a home run?
ReplyDeleteSuggestion for a new statistic, call it the "Clean Save." You don't get credit for a Clean Save unless you finish the game and don't allow any runs at all, either inherited or otherwise. That's what closers are really paid to do. Right?
ReplyDeleteAnd "Holds" are stupid anyway.
Seems to me that if it hits the yellow line, it's in play. If Jackie Bradley catches the rebound and throws the runner out at second base (as he maybe could do), it's a single with an out at second.
ReplyDeleteSo...hitting the yellow line is just like hitting the grass, ball's in play. But then, if it bounces from there to the top of the ledge, the rule would be just like on a ball hitting the grass. The ball has bounced from in play to out of play...ground rule double. No special rule beyond the yellow line rule required.
Am I missing something here?