G10: Red Sox 14, Yankees 1

Yankees - 000 010 000 -  1 10  2
Red Sox - 130 109 00x - 14 11  0

The Red Sox took control of this game from the first inning, grabbing a lead after Luis Severino had thrown 10 pitches. Boston scored five runs against the Yankees' best starter (5-8-5-3-6, 94) before turning an enjoyable game into a laugher with a nine-run sixth inning, highlighted by Mookie Betts's grand slam.

Betts reached base and scored in all five of his plate appearances, collecting a single, two doubles, a walk, and his third career grand slam. Betts is now one of only seven players to score five runs in a game against the Yankees:

Tris Speaker    August 11, 1919      Cleveland 15, Yankees 9
Al Simmons      June 21, 1929 (G1)   Athletics 11, Yankees 1
Ski Melillo     June 22, 1931        Browns 14, Yankees 10
Ken Griffey     May 24, 1996         Mariners 10, Yankees 4
Angel Berroa    September 13, 2004   Royals 17, Yankees 8 
Luis Castillo   June 27, 2008 (G1)   Mets 15, Yankees 6 

Betts is also the second player with at least four hits, five runs and four RBI against the Yankees since the RBI stat became official in 1920. The first: Ken Griffey Jr., on May 24, 1996 (see above). ... Betts is also the first Red Sox player with at least four hits, four runs and four RBI against the Yankees, probably ever, but since 1920 for sure.

The top of the Red Sox order - Betts, Andrew Benintendi, and Hanley Ramirez - went 8-for-9* with two doubles, one triple, one home run, nine RBI, eight runs scored, four walks, and one stolen base (Hanley!). (*: They actually made two outs: Ramirez's sac fly in the fourth and Benintendi's grounder to end the crazy sixth.)

It was the most runs the Red Sox had scored against the Yankees since beating them 14-1 on August 22, 2009.

Boston wasted little time in getting on the board. Betts doubled off the Wall, Benintendi walked, and Ramirez singled to center. 1-0. Severino later walked Rafael Devers and the Red Sox ended up leaving the bases loaded. In the second, Christian Vazquez and Betts both singled and came around on Benintendi's triple into the right field corner. And then Ramirez brought Benintendi home with a single to left-center. In the fourth, Betts walked with one out, went to third on Benintendi's double, and scored on Ramirez's sacrifice fly to right.

Chris Sale (6-8-1-0-8, 87) allowed at least one baserunner in each inning - so someone, somewhere, is going to panic; please ignore him - but permitted only two Yankees to get as far as second base. His biggest threat, if you can call it that, came in the third. With one out, Neil Walker and Aaron Judge both singled. Sale struck out Giancarlo Stanton and Gary Sanchez. (Stanton also fanned on three pitches in the first inning, much to the delight of the crowd.)

Sale gave up a leadoff single in the fifth before striking out the next three batters. Judge homered to deep center in the fifth, but whatever...

The New York bullpen took over in the sixth, with Tommy Kahnle getting Brock Holt on a grounder to first. Betts doubled into the left field corner and Kahnle walked both Benintendi and Ramirez, loading the bases. J.D. Martinez's drive to left-center came extremely close to hitting the wall to the right of the yellow line, which would have counted as a grand slam. But instead Martinez had a two-run double. Devers's fly to center scored Ramirez, making it 8-1. Kahnle walked Eduardo Nunez on four pitches and Chase Shreve took his place on the mound.

Shreve's first pitch drilled Jackie Bradley - and the bases were loaded again. Vazquez grounded towards third. Miguel Andujar moved to his left, but the ball hit off his glove for an error. So instead of recording the third out, the Yankees allowed yet another run - and the bases remained loaded. Shreve walked Holt on five pitches, forcing in Boston's 10th run. Then Mookie launched a 2-1 pitch into the Monster Seats, adding four more runs.

The totals for the sixth inning: 12 batters, 42 pitches, 9 runs, 3 hits, 4 walks, 1 HBP, 1 error.

The Yankees got their third (and last) runner of the night as far as second base when Stanton doubled in the eighth off Brian Johnson. Stanton struck out twice, but went 2-for-4.

Judge (3-for-4) had as many hits tonight as he had all last year at Fenway (3-for-36), but it made no difference. ... Sanchez is now 1-for-his-last-33 (.030). Will Aaron Boone bat him clean-up tomorrow night, too?

More good news for Yankee fans: The Mets, like the Red Sox, are 9-1.

Luis Severino / Chris Sale

Betts, RF
Benintendi, LF
Ramirez, 1B
Martinez, DH
Devers, 3B
Nunez, 2B
Bradley, CF
Vazquez, C
Holt, SS

Nick Cafardo, Boston Globe, April 8:

As good as 8-1 sounds, it should have been 9-0 given they blew a 4-0, eighth-inning lead on Opening Day.

But fun time is over.

Now the Red Sox face the mettle — the New York Yankees — who have managed to survive a plethora of injuries with a 5-5 record and without the benefit of a hot Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, or Gary Sanchez, a trio that will surely mash at some juncture in 2018.

Cafardo does such an amusingly poor job of disguising his love for the Yankees. And he is, as always, utterly wrong.

Now the fun begins.

Dan Martin, Post:

"I'm aware they're 8-1," general manager Brian Cashman said Monday. "I'd rather we were 8-1." ...

Stanton went 3-for-28 with a homer and 16 strikeouts [in his first homestand] — including the first two five-strikeout games of his professional career. And he also heard plenty of boos from the home crowd. ...

The spotlight on Stanton's rough start will be significantly intensified if it continues against the Red Sox.

And Aaron Judge has struggled so far in his career in Boston.

In nine career games at Fenway, Judge is 3-for-36 with one homer, six walks and 14 strikeouts [.083/.233/.167]. His OPS of .399 is by far his worst at any ballpark. ...

[Judge:] "I think we're gonna be fine."

Mike Mazzeo, Daily News:

Giancarlo Stanton ... may get better treatment in enemy territory than he's gotten in the Bronx.

Stanton was booed vociferously by Yankees fans because of his dreadful performance during his first homestand wearing pinstripes.

Stanton went 0-for-7 with five strikeouts on Sunday — becoming the first player in the live-ball era to have two games with no hits and five Ks in the same season, with all of it happening over a six-day span in early April.

His stat-line to date: 42 at-bats, 20 strikeouts ...

"He's just a mess," is how one scout put it. "He's jumping at everything, missing balls by a few feet and not identifying pitches. ... [H]e's leaking pretty badly and pulling off the ball a lot — even with his closed stance." ...

More concerning was Stanton's defense in left, which another scout called "horrendous" due to his poor reads. ...

Judge is 0-for-12 with 10 strikeouts and two walks lifetime versus Sale. Stanton has never faced him. It could be a rude welcome to the rivalry.

Judge versus Red Sox, career: .151/.295/.260 (11-for-73, 30 strikeouts)

And don't forget: Gary Sanchez is off to a rip-roaring .063 start (2-for-32) and is 1-for-his-last-29 (.034).

More Cafardian nonsense, from April 4:

In his two starts, Chris Sale hasn't looked like his overpowering self. ... Maybe there's something a little bit off. ... Sale has allowed just one run over 11 innings, striking out 15. ...

Maybe it's best that Sale didn't crank it up against the inferior lineups of [the Rays and Marlins]. Maybe it's better he save it for the Yankees, Orioles, Blue Jays, or another team against which he needs to use his strikeout arsenal more.

Yep. Something is definitely "off" about Sale. Because an 0.82 ERA and 12.3 K/9 is pure shit.