Schadenfreude 222 (A Continuing Series)

Joel Sherman, Post:

For the first two-thirds of Thursday night's game at Fenway Park, you could have initiated a pretty strong argument about just which phase of the Yankees was the worst — their starting pitching, their offense or their defense.

In what is now a two-week-old season, the Yankees have done a poor job of harmonizing the team. ...

But in the finale against the Red Sox ... the Yankees assembled the opposite of a masterpiece. They were not undermined by one area. This was systemic failure.

Sonny Gray could not locate, finish off hitters or find common ground in pitch selection with Gary Sanchez. That left him needing his defense more than ever, but Sanchez had difficulty corralling a hard-to-catch pitcher (three wild pitches) and Giancarlo Stanton and Tyler Wade each botched plays. And until Aaron Judge opened the seventh with a double, Rick Porcello was no-hitting the Yankees.

"We'll turn the page," Aaron Boone said after a 6-3 loss.

He actually has been saying that a lot ...

[W]ith a chance to reverse both their early meh play and the Red Sox's strong opening surge, the Yankees behaved like the second-best team in the series. Boston took two of three and even in winning the tension-filled middle game the Yankees had a sense of hanging on despite scoring 10 runs. ...

There are five more series between the teams and 149 more games for the Yankees to rewrite all of this.

But they will need to actually, you know, play well to do this. ...

[Sonny] Gray joined Luis Severino and Masahiro Tanaka — the prime-aged top-three starters in this rotation — in getting brutalized at Fenway: 17 runs on 22 hits in 13 innings. ...

Boston — under its own rookie manager, Alex Cora — has matched the best 12-game start in franchise history. The Red Sox also had the upper hand in a series that will be remembered for two benches/bullpen-clearing altercations in the middle game.

And also for this — Boston being better.

Mike Vaccaro, Post:

So, this was the plan all along, wasn't? A dynamic young manager, inspiring his baseball team to a fast, impressive start. Spinning scoreboards that resembled pinball machines more than ballparks. The occasional lights-out performance from a starting pitcher. Engaged fans.

Just the way the Yankees drew it up.

Only these are the Bizarro Yankees, also known as the Boston Red Sox, also known as the best team in the American League and the A.L. East (by 2.5 games) and, specifically, the A.L. East, Heavyweight Division (by 4.5 games). The Bizarro Yankees splattered the Real Yankees again Thursday night, this time by a 6-3 score ...

In the 14 days since [Opening Day], things have turned upside-down. The Sox recovered on Day 2, didn't lose for almost two full weeks, winning from way ahead and winning from way behind and throwing a 14-1 haymaker at the Yankees in the first of 19 meetings between the rivals on Tuesday.

The Yankees? Putting it kindly, Stanton is no longer on a 324-homer pace. The bullpen, which was their crown jewel, has stumbled. Even Severino, who looked so untouchable in his first two starts, was bombarded Tuesday night at Fenway ...

They won Game 2 of the series, but only after Masahiro Tanaka tried mightily to blow an 8-1 lead ... [On Thursday] there was no life to them, little energy, little fight against Rick Porcello — loser of 17 games last year — who no-hit them for six innings. ...

For now, for the moment, for the Sox, the good times never looked so good.

(So good. So good. So good.)

George A. King III, Post:

Aaron Boone sighed lightly before answering each of the first two postgame questions following a disheartening loss to the Red Sox on Thursday night. ...

"We didn't play good behind him," Boone said of starter Sonny Gray, who got hammered for six runs and seven hits in three-plus innings. ...

Second baseman Tyler Wade's throwing error to the plate fueled a four-run second inning. Left fielder Giancarlo Stanton botched Jackie Bradley, Jr.'s fly ball near the left-field foul line and seats by overrunning it and having it land in fair territory behind him for an RBI ground-rule double in the third, when the Red Sox stretched the lead to 6-0. ...

The victory pushed the 10-2 Red Sox 4.5 games ahead of the 6-7 Yankees in the AL East. It wasn't until July 7 the Yankees were that far out of the top spot last season. ...

"[W]e will turn the page," said Boone, whose club might suffer multiple paper cuts doing that with the way it played Thursday evening.

George A. King III, Post (early edition):

Nothing the Yankees attempted to do on a rainy April night against the Red Sox worked. Sonny Gray was awful. Second baseman Tyler Wade made a mental mistake and a physical blunder on the same ground ball. Giancarlo Stanton overran a fly ball near the left-field line that went for a run-scoring double. Gary Sanchez lost the battle with Gray's pitches in the dirt when the catcher was charged with three passed balls in three innings.

Finally, Red Sox starter Rick Porcello kept the Yankees scoreless and limited them to two hits and no runs over seven innings in a 6-3 victory that was witnessed by 36,341 in New England's drenched living room. ...

As bad as Tuesday night's 14-1 embarrassment for the Yankees was, the third game of three against their blood rivals was worse ...

Gray (1-1) stranded two runners in the first but faced nine batters in the second when the Red Sox scored four runs and were helped by Wade's ill-advised throw to the plate on a ground ball that resulted in a run. ...

After being outscored 27-11 and losing two of three in awful fashion, the upcoming weekend in Detroit against the hapless Tigers is going to look like Paris in the spring to the Yankees. ...

Since joining the Yankees in August, Gray has made three starts against Boston, posting a 7.20 ERA.

Mike Mazzeo, Daily News:

The Yankees must not have had any fight left in them.

A day after the brawl, the Bombers looked lifeless and sloppy in a 6-3 rubber-game loss to the Red Sox ...

Rick Porcello no-hit the Yankees for the first six innings ...

Sonny Gray was awful, Tyler Wade couldn't hit or field, and Stanton overran a routine fly ball that he appeared to have lost in the rain.

Gray, who has performed like a No. 4 starter and always pitches at a snail's pace, struggled to find the strike zone and put hitters away. He allowed six runs on seven hits, walked two and uncorked three wild pitches. In his first three starts, Gray has only managed to total 13 innings.

MIA
Basically the entire team ...

Mike Mazzeo, Daily News:

The Yankees were punchless at the plate against Rick Porcello on Thursday night, but Sonny Gray's continued struggles were the biggest takeaway from the team's lackluster 6-3 loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Gray, who has a 6.92 ERA this season, was supposed to be a No. 2-type starter, but he's pitching more like a No. 4-5 right now.

On Thursday night, the 28-year-old righty nibbled - as he's known to do - instead of attacking. He worked at his usual slow pace, was all over the place and couldn't finish hitters off. ...

Gray had two strikes on eight hitters - and five of them reached. An error by the usually sure-handed Tyler Wade - whose batting average now sits at .097 - and a misplay by Giancarlo Stanton that turned a routine fly ball to left into a ground-rule RBI double didn't help matters either. The sloppy-fielding Bombers lead the AL with 13 errors.

Six of the first seven hitters Gray faced reached base in the second inning, and the Sox opened up an insurmountable 4-0 lead as Porcello flirted with a no-hitter for much of the night. ...

Luis Severino (5 IP, 8 H, 5 ER) and Masahiro Tanaka (5 IP, 7 H, 6 ER) were also lousy in the Red Sox series.

Dan Martin, Post:

If the Yankees are going to live up to their high expectations this season, they have to get past the Red Sox.

They now have alarming evidence Sonny Gray isn't going to provide much help against their rivals.

Gray was awful ... giving up six runs — with three wild pitches — in just three-plus innings.

Afterward, he couldn't explain what went wrong.

"I'm not sure," Gray said. ... "[Y]ou can give up four runs pretty easily." ...

In seven career starts versus Boston, he's 1-5 with a 5.97 ERA ... [I]n four starts at Fenway, Gray is 0-3 with a 7.13 ERA.

Mike Mazzeo, Daily News:

Aaron Hicks has returned. ...

He finished 0-for-4 with a strikeout.

Video Bonus!:

Former Yankee Bonus:

G12: Red Sox 6, Yankees 3

Yankees - 000 000 003 - 3  4  1
Red Sox - 042 000 00x - 6  8  2

Rick Porcello (7-2-0-0-6, 99) retired the first 11 Yankees and took a no-hitter through a 45-minute rain delay and into the seventh inning.

The Yankees made things somewhat interesting by scoring three times against Marcus Walden with no outs in the ninth, before Craig Kimbrel got a grounder to first and two strikeouts to burst the Bombers' bubble.

The bottom four batters in the Boston order scored all six runs against Sonny Gray (3-7-6-2-3, 68), with Eduardo Nunez and Jackie Bradley scoring two each. Bradley also drove in his first run of the season, in his 40th plate appearance.

Hanley Ramirez was drilled on the left wrist in the first inning by Gray's first pitch to him, a 94-mph fastball. Ramirez was in considerable pain and left the game. X-rays were negative.

The Red Sox batted around in the second inning. Nunez reached on an infield hit, a chopper over the mound that shortstop Didi Gregorius could not handle. Bradley walked. Sandy Leon grounded a single into right and Boston led 1-0. Brock Holt walked, loading the bases. Mookie Betts jumped on Gray's first pitch and flied out to deep center. All three runners tagged and advanced, with JBJ crossing the plate.

Andrew Benintendi grounded to second baseman Tyler Wade, who threw home. Catcher Gary Sanchez could not handle the one-hop throw. The ball skipped past him and Leon scored. The official scorer charged Wade with an error, but punishing the infielder because Sanchez has stone hands seems unfair. (The throw was on target.) Mitch Moreland, who had replaced Ramirez, singled to left for another run before Gray got the final two outs.

Nunez doubled off the Wall to start the third. Bradley popped an 0-2 pitch down the left field line. Giancarlo Stanton, thinking the ball was going foul into the crowd, ran over to the side wall to watch. However, the ball actually fell unmolested into fair territory several feet behind him! And when Stanton turned towards the ball, it bounced high and out of his reach, into the stands for a ground-rule double. Nunez scored. (Bradley had batted with 22 runners on base prior to that AB (11 on first, 8 on second, 3 on third), without driving any of them in.)

Stanton looked like a rank amateur on that play, and a couple of his teammates tried to make him feel not so alone. Leon struck out, but the ball slipped past Sanchez. And, again, someone else was blamed, as it was called a wild pitch. After Holt struck out looking, Betts grounded to third. Ronald Torreyes made a bad throw to second, high and wide, and Wade was unable to attempt an inning-ending double play. Instead, Bradley scored Boston's 6th run.

Porcello's night started off with a frustrating seven-pitch at-bat in which Brett Gardner grounded out to first. The frustrating part was home plate umpire Chris Guccione, who blew two obvious strikes - #3 and #5 below - both of which should have struck out Gardner.

Blowing two calls like that in one at-bat? That's the unmistakable sign of a horseshit umpire.

Porcello retired 11 batters before grazing Stanton on his elbow pad with a pitch in the fourth. The rule book states that if the batter makes no effort to avoid a pitch that hits him, the umpire MUST call the pitch a ball and NOT award the batter first base. Guccione - being incompetent and unworthy of holding his current job - ignored the clear dictates of the rule book, and sent Stanton to first base.

(Umpires should not be allowed to pick and choose which rules they are going to enforce and which rules they will not. Presumably, a first base umpire could not get away with deciding on his own that all throws to first on ground balls must beat the runner by two steps to be ruled an out. Similarly, plate umpires should not be allowed to ignore or alter existing rules.)

That was New York's only baserunner until the seventh. Both teams sat through a 45-minute rain delay at the end of the fifth. (It had been raining steadily since the second inning.) Aaron Judge broke up the no-hit bid with a double to deep center leading off the seventh. Stanton followed with an infield single to third. Porcello couldn't have cared less. He got Didi Gregorius on a fly to right and struck out Gary Sanchez and Aaron Hicks.

Marcus Walden got through the eighth, but he walked Judge to start the ninth. Stanton hit a hard grounder to Devers at third. Devers bobbled it and then made a dumb decision to throw the ball to first, and was charged with two errors, one fielding and one throwing. Stanton stole second before Gregorius walked. Sanchez drove home all three runners with a first-pitch double into the triangle. At 6-3, it was now a "save situation", so Kimbrel came in and slammed the door in the MFY's faces.

The Red Sox improved to 10-2, while the Yankees dropped to 6-7.

Sonny Gray / Rick Porcello

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

Christian Vazquez - who failed in his only job during the early moments of what became the brawl last night, which was to get in front of Austin once he slammed his bat and starting making big-boy noises after getting properly drilled and prevent him from going after Kelly - fully expects the MFY to retaliate and keep this feud going:

You know that's coming. They feel like us. ... [I]t will be something soon. If not this series, maybe in New York [May 8-10].

Several Sportswriters Claim The Red Sox-Yankees Rivalry Had Disappeared, But Now Say It Has "Officially" Returned

Nicholas Parco and Mike Mazzeo, Daily News:

The rivalry is officially back.

Jason Mastrodonato, Herald:

The bad blood is back.

Who in their right mind seriously thought the rivalry had disappeared?

As JoS's Schadenfreude posts reveal, every New York sportswriter covering the Yankees rips various hometown players and managers from time to time for their failures and other assorted nonsense. But in the wake of last night's brawl, they lost any and all objectivity.

Mike Vaccaro, Post:

Four innings earlier, Austin had been on first base after an RBI single. Tyler Wade bunted, Austin slid hard into second base, maybe a little late, maybe with his spikes a little too high. For 125 years, this was known as a "clean play." In 2018, players sometimes take exception. Boston's Brock Holt took exception.

No. This has nothing to do with Holt's personal opinion about Austin's slide (though he did think it was dirty). As Vaccaro surely knows, there are now rules forbidding base runners from certain types of slides that were legal in years and decades past. Vaccaro may disagree with these new rules - I think they are excessive - but he should acknowledge their existence, and understand that the legality of Austin's slide was the issue. As Holt confirmed, after the game...

Holt:

I probably said something I shouldn't have to start the whole thing. I'm sorry for that. I just wanted him to know it was a bad slide. I think everyone on the field knows that it was.

Vaccaro:

Kelly, after getting in a few blind punches, found himself wrapped in matching peacemaker bear hugs from Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, and maybe it was the thought of what that tag-team duo could've done to him that made him insist afterward, "I was just pitching inside," which was about as believable as a Paul Lynde bluff on the old "Hollywood Squares."

First, Lynde's last appearance on Hollywood Squares was a mere 37 years ago, so great topical reference, Mike!

Second, Kelly lied for one reason: he doesn't want a big fine and suspension. He is not afraid of the Big Bad Yankees. Stanton and Judge would likely just swing and miss (as they so often do) with their fists.

Third, Austin's claim that "I felt that was a good slide" deserves to be mocked just as much as Kelly's obvious lie. Vaccaro saw the third-inning play live and he saw numerous replays. If he possesses even an ounce of objectivity, he knows Austin is full of shit.

Over at the Daily News, Mike Mazzeo wrote (accurately) that Austin "slid late and hard into second, hooking Holt".

[In the seventh] Austin and Kelly were on the ground exchanging punches as the benches and bullpens emptied, sending anyone and everyone onto the field. Kelly connected more often, leaving Austin with a fat lip and a wrap on his left elbow. ...

Kelly, with scratches on his face, insisted the ball just got away. C'mon, Joe.

Mazzeo lets us know (as Vaccaro did) that he thinks Kelly is lying, but we should take everything Austin says at face value - despite all evidence to the contrary.

Brian Cashman:

There was no reason for fisticuffs ... based on that slide at second base. ... I mean, what are you supposed to do when somebody hits you and then calls you out?

In other words, the Yankees GM believes if you get hit with a pitch, there is no other alternative but charging the mound. However, if a runner spikes you with an illegal slide and then talks shit to you about it, there is "no reason" to react.

The Boston writers were more honest about the situation.

Sean McAdam, Boston Sports Journal:

After Tyler Austin slid past the second base bag and aimed his spikes at the right leg of shortstop Brock Holt, the Red Sox took just four innings before they achieved payback. Reliever Joe Kelly airmailed a 98 mph fastball to Austin's back. ...

Austin feigned outrage and slammed first his bat, then his helmet before jogging purposefully toward Kelly, who assumed a combat stance, all the while inviting Austin to bring it.

In seconds, the two were throwing roundhouse rights, with Kelly seemingly getting in the best shots.

McAdam also pointed out Kelly's "humorous alibi" and noted that at least one Boston player "wander[ed] off script". McAdam quotes Holt: "It shows that we all have each other's back. It shows how close-knit we are in here."

Mastrodonato noted Austin's "questionable spikes-up slide":

Austin was clearly out while Holt kept his right foot on the bag and had no intention of turning a double play. Still, Austin slid with his spikes straight into Holt's ankle, a similar play to the one involving Manny Machado and Dustin Pedroia last year. Holt took issue with the slide and exchanged words with Austin ...

Kelly started him with a swinging strike on a slider, then came way inside on a 98-mph heater but didn't hit him. The next pitch was another slider low. The fourth one was 98 mph and plunked Austin in the back. Austin lost his temper immediately, slamming his bat as he made his way toward Kelly, who motioned Austin toward him. Kelly dodged the initial charge and threw him on the ground as he wildly threw punches.

Also, two Hall of Famers weighed in:

Pedro, Twitter:

The only thing I would had done different than Joe Kelly tonight, is I would've hit Tyler Austin at his previous at bat. Other than that, Kelly executed perfectly

Chipper Jones, Twitter:

U slide in with ur spikes up and catch a piece, ur gonna get thrown at young fella. That's how baseball works.

G11: Yankees 10, Red Sox 7

Yankees - 401 302 000 - 10 12  0
Red Sox - 100 050 001 -  7 10  1

David Price lasted only one inning, allowing three hits and four runs, leaving the game for precautionary reasons because of "a sensation" in his left hand. He faced eight batters and threw 35 pitches (1-3-4-2-1, 35). Gary Sanchez hit two two-run home runs, one off Price and one off Heath Hembree in the fourth.

J.D. Martinez hit a grand slam in the bottom of the fifth, cutting New York's lead to 8-6, but that was as close as the Red Sox would get.

Tyler Austin showed himself to be a Grade-A Asshole by committing an illegal slide into second base in the third inning (he got away with it) and then getting pissed when he was drilled in the back by Joe Kelly in the seventh. Austin slammed his bat on the plate and charged the mound. Kelly moved out of the way and got a couple of punches in as the benches and bullpens emptied. The game was delayed about 15 minutes.

In the third, Austin slid into second with his left leg up, a move Boston manager Alex Cora believed was illegal. It appeared that Brock Holt, who took the throw at second that forced Austin, said something immediately to the Yankee DH. Austin barked at him, and the benches emptied, but nothing much happened.

Austin: "I felt like my slide into second base was a clean slide. I play the game hard. I thought there was absolutely nothing wrong with that slide. I had no thought that they were going to throw at me."

Kelly: "It's a pitch that got away on a cold night. It's not like I have Greg Maddux command. We'll see what happens. I don't think I should be suspended. It wasn't a blowout game. We were still in that ballgame. We had a big rally the inning before."

Well, Austin is full of shit. His slide was not clean. And from where I sat, Kelly clearly drilled him on purpose. Both players were ejected, along with Yankees pitcher Tommy Kahnle and third base coach Phil Nevin (who was also acting like a tool throughout the delay).

So you slide into second in a way that is totally against the rules - and in a way that the team you are pulling your weak-ass shit against had their second baseman get seriously hurt last year in a near-identical play - and you are surprised that you get hit later on? How fucking dumb is Tyler Austin?

Also, here is a NESN replay of the Austin HBP. I swear this is a full screen shot:

Masahiro Tanaka / David Price

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

After a night of futility at the plate and absorbing a 14-1 pounding last night, the Yankees return to Fenway to face David Price, who has allowed zero runs in 14 innings this season. Opponents are batting .149 (7-for-47) against Price and slugging .170. The Red Sox have their sights on their 10th consecutive win.

The Red Sox are only the third American League team in the last 15 seasons to win nine of their first 10 games. ... They are hitting .320 (32-for-100, with more walks (19) than strikeouts (16)) with RATS. ... And with RATS and two outs, Boston is hitting .314, with an OPS of 1.013.

The Red Sox and Yankees have played each other 2,195 times (2,176 regular season games and 19 postseason games) since 1903. In only nine of those games have the Red Sox scored more than 14 runs:

17 - May 28, 2005 - Red Sox 17, Yankees 1
17 - July 15, 2005 - Red Sox 17, Yankees 1
16 - August 12, 1937 (G1) - Red Sox 16, Yankees 10
16 - April 25, 2009 - Red Sox 16, Yankees 11
15 - June 20, 1912 - Red Sox 15, Yankees 8
15 - September 26, 1912 - Red Sox 15, Yankees 12
15 - August 31, 1933 - Red Sox 15, Yankees 2
15 - April 6, 1973 - Red Sox 15, Yankees 5
15 - September 1, 1990 - Red Sox 15, Yankees 1

The Red Sox have scored 14 runs against the Yankees on 17 occasions (including last night*).

(*: Message to Nick 'Fun Time Is Over' Cafardo: "See? This is fun!")

In a change of pace, here are a couple of Boston newspapers from today:

Schadenfreude 221 (A Continuing Series)

George A. King III, Post:

Not even the frosty air that smothered Fenway Park on Tuesday evening could mask the stench pouring out of the Yankees' road gray uniforms.

A monster homer and three hits from Aaron Judge or Giancarlo Stanton singling and doubling in the final two at-bats after whiffing in the first two didn't reduce the need for nose plugs.

No, the smell was so putrid during a 14-1 loss to the Red Sox in front of 32,357 customers, nothing could kill it.

"That is no fun getting beat up like that," Aaron Boone said of his club's fourth loss in five games that dropped its record to 5-6 and left the Yankees 4.5 lengths back of the AL East-leading Red Sox, who are 9-1. ...

"It sucked. We don't want to give up nine runs in an inning," catcher Austin Romine said. ...

In addition to ineffectiveness from Severino, Kahnle and Shreve, there was more ugliness from Gary Sanchez's frigid bat. Sanchez ... went 0-for-4 and has one hit in 33 at-bats. ...

[Stanton:] "I saw the ball better ... It was good progress. ... [D]on't worry about the outside noise."

Or the smell that was impossible to ignore.

George A. King III, Post (early edition):

There was a lot more wrong with the Yankees than Giancarlo Stanton's bat pushing cold air around Fenway Park on Tuesday night.

While Stanton's wood produced two more strikeouts, he wasn't the only reason the Yankees were embarrassed 14-1 by the Red Sox ...

Staff ace Luis Severino ... couldn't handle a Red Sox lineup that was missing stud shortstop Xander Bogaerts. In five innings he allowed five runs, eight hits and walked three. ...

If all that ugliness wasn't enough, the 5-6 Yankees committed two errors and have made a dozen in 11 games this season.

Mike Mazzeo, Daily News:

In the sixth inning, as things started to unravel, Red Sox fans began one of their favorite chants: "Yankees suck! Yankees suck!"

On Tuesday night, they were not wrong. The Bombers looked awful in every facet of the game — as they were embarrassed by the Sox, losing 14-1 at Fenway Park.

Luis Severino gave up four runs in the first two innings — five overall. Tommy Kahnle and Chasen Shreve combined to give up nine runs in the sixth inning alone. ...

On the other hand, Chris Sale was dominant, allowing one run on eight hits and striking out eight in six innings. Mookie Betts went 4-for-4 with a grand slam and 5 runs scored.

Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone haven't been in panic mode just yet, with plenty of baseball left. But this will certainly cause Yankee Nation to panic, that's for sure.

Billy Witz, Times:

It is the ritual of a baseball player to shrug off today's misfortune, knowing that there will be a chance to get on the right side of the ledger tomorrow. It is the only sane way to navigate the six-month grind of a season.

Still, the Yankees managed on Tuesday to test the bounds of healthy amnesia — and the limits of humiliation — renewing their rivalry with the Boston Red Sox with an epic face plant of a 14-1 defeat.

If the Yankees were eager to get a crack at the Red Sox, whom they tried in vain to chase down for the division title last season, their excitement did not last long: Mookie Betts ripped the second pitch from Yankees ace Luis Severino high off the Green Monster for a double.

Once the Red Sox dispatched Severino after five innings, they gutted the bullpen — scoring nine runs in the sixth inning ... The Yankees defense was also jittery ... and their hitters did nothing to dent Red Sox starter Chris Sale ...

The Yankees had not lost this decisively to the Red Sox in nearly a decade — since an identical 14-1 defeat on Aug. 22, 2009. ...

Stanton did manage to single off Sale, then double off reliever Joe Kelly ... Those were the types of positive crumbs Boone clung to as he watched the Yankees disintegrate ...

Tyler Kepner, Times:

Through 118 seasons of triumph and turmoil, the Boston Red Sox had never won eight of their first nine games. Then again, they had never been granted an easier schedule, either. The Yankees, who arrived at Fenway Park on Tuesday, would pose a new kind of test ...

It wasn't a fair fight — for the Yankees. The Red Sox kept on rolling, bludgeoning the Yankees by 14-1 ...

The best news for the Red Sox — and the part that should worry the Yankees — is that their top three starters have looked sturdy. ... Sale, David Price and Rick Porcello have combined for a 1.24 earned run average in seven starts. ...

The Red Sox ... are the first major league team since at least 1940 go without an error in their first 10 games.

Mike Mazzeo, Daily News:

The gleeful chant from the home crowd as things unraveled for the Yanks in a nine-run sixth inning for the Sox: "Yankees Suck! Yankees Suck!"

If only there was a mercy rule.

"Just a crappy night all around," said first-year manager Aaron Boone, whose championship-or-bust team is off to 5-6 start. ...

The Bombers were dominated by Chris Sale, but that was nothing out of the ordinary. ...

The Bombers have already had to deal with injuries, bullpen meltdowns and games they gave away and lost in extra-innings.

With so many expectations, adversity has come quickly. In the sixth, they fell apart. ...

Boone's message to his team at the time: "Fight. Grind. No excuses. No sulking."

Dan Martin, Post:

Luis Severino struggled with his slider command Tuesday night, but that might not have been his only issue in his worst outing of the young season.

Manager Aaron Boone admitted Severino may be tipping his pitches ...

Severino blamed his poor outing mostly on a lack of command of his slider, though he added he may look into whether he was giving anything away on the mound. ...

Regardless of what his main problems were, Severino was no match for Chris Sale. ...

Severino said the 38-degree temperature wasn't a factor, but Betts wasted no time getting to him, blasting a double to open the bottom of the first.

Dan Martin, Post:

Maybe now it's time to start worrying about the Yankees' bullpen.

Aaron Boone has said throughout the team's sluggish start to the season that the bullpen's early woes have not been cause for concern ...

That was before Tuesday's 14-1 thrashing at Fenway Park, when the pen entered a mess largely created by Luis Severino and made it significantly worse — giving up a nine-spot in the sixth. ...

It was just the latest rough night for a relief corps that was billed as one of the game's best ...

Dellin Betances, David Robertson, Chad Green and Adam Warren have already had poor outings this season — and that was before Kahnle and Shreve set Tuesday's game on fire. Jonathan Holder has also already been jettisoned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for underperformance.

Joel Sherman, Post:

[T]here are a lot of reasons the Yankees are underachieving through 11 games that have nothing to do with Stanton. This is not exoneration of Stanton. Heck, in most at-bats he has looked hapless, hopeless and helpless — so large are the holes being exposed up in the zone with fastballs and away with breaking stuff. ...

The Yanks are not under .500 (5-6) for the first time this year only because of Stanton. And they were not humiliated 14-1 ... only because of Stanton.

Their ace, Luis Severino, failed. Tommy Kahnle and Chasen Shreve were atrocious. The lineup went 1-for-20 with men on base (1-for-14 against Chris Sale) and the only Yankee to reach third came when Judge homered in the fifth. ...

[Stanton's] biggest contribution to date for his Yankee teammates is providing cover for their failure. ... However, this does not mean the rest of the team skates. ...

Overall, though, Boone praised his club, stating, "I think guys are going into the game really prepared." ...

Sanchez has two hits in 36 at-bats, his .056 average the worst in the majors. Neil Walker, whose spring addition felt like offensive gluttony, has one extra-base hit in 34 at-bats. Miguel Andujar ... is 3-for-24 without an extra-base hit ...

[The Yankees bullpen] has let in runs in nine of 11 games and allowed an inherited runner to score in one of the other two games.

Scott Lauber, ESPN:

If not for intermittent drizzle Tuesday evening, television cameras would've been focused on twin New York Yankees sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton as they took aim at the Green Monster in batting practice.

Instead, a few hours later, viewers were treated to the Mookie Betts Show.

As the Boston Red Sox renewed their age-old rivalry with the Yankees, Betts put forth a performance for the ages. In a 14-1 Red Sox rout, he punctuated a 4-for-5 night with a grand slam in a nine-run sixth inning. Betts became only the second player ever with at least four hits, five runs and four RBIs in a game against the Yankees, joining Ken Griffey Jr. on May 24, 1996.

"I mean, at this point, it's almost not impressive," Red Sox ace Chris Sale said with a straight face. "No, I'm just kidding. It's great. ... He just continues to be unbelievable."

At 9-1, the Red Sox are off to the best start in franchise history. Betts is an enormous reason for that. In 10 games, he is posting video-game numbers: 16-for-37 (.432, which leads the majors), five doubles, two homers, 13 runs, six RBIs, six walks, only three strikeouts, a .533 on-base percentage and a .730 slugging percentage. ...

[Betts] has taken an offseason challenge from new manager Alex Cora to be a more aggressive hitter out of the leadoff spot rather than focusing so much on taking pitches. ...

Five plate appearances. Eighteen pitches. Four hits and a walk.

That's called being aggressive. ...

[T]he Red Sox's nine-run sixth inning was their biggest outburst against the Yankees since May 31, 1998, when they scored 11 runs in the third inning at Yankee Stadium.

Two SoSH game thread comments:

bagwell1: "14-1 and the Judge solo HR is the lead highlight on ESPN mlb page. I love it."

RedOctober3829 said: "This is all well and good but have the Red Sox played a contender yet?"

Stanton worth every penny... to us!! pic.twitter.com/ZagxbjGR29

— Red (@SurvivingGrady) April 11, 2018

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.

Bogaerts Will Miss At Least Two Weeks With Left Ankle Injury

Xander Bogaerts - who leads the Red Sox in batting average (.368), slugging percentage (.711), OPS (1.111), hits (14), doubles (7), and total bases (27) - has been put on the 10-day disabled list. The Red Sox expected him to be out of action for approximately two weeks.

Bogaerts suffered a small crack in the talus bone in his left ankle on Sunday when, in the seventh inning, he chased after the ball into foul territory and slid into the third base dugout.

The Red Sox have recalled Tzu-Wei Lin from Pawtucket.

Jessica Flynn, a sports medicine physician at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington, MA, believes Bogaerts will likely be out for longer than 10-14 days.

The most common cause of an injury to the talus is when the ankle rolls ligaments or the joint capsule avulse a sliver of bone off of the talus. Treatment is immobilization in a boot and rest. The return is dependent on how quickly sprain heals and can be two to six weeks.

The other possibility is that it is a stress fracture of the talus. I would be more suspicious of that if the fracture was not the result of twisting the ankle. A stress fracture of the talus can also take four-to-six weeks to heal.

Six weeks from today is May 21.

Brad Brach's Ways Are Higher Than Our Ways And His Thoughts Than Our Thoughts

Watching the bottom of the 12th inning of Sunday's Orioles/Yankees game unfold was making me angry. Baltimore reliever Brad Brach walked the first two New York batters and then committed an error on a bunt. For this meltdown, I cursed him and his family and several subsequent generations.

However, I was wrong. My anger was misplaced. My puny human mind could not possibly comprehend what Brad Brach was doing.

What I didn't realize then - but now know, down to the core of my soul - is that Brad Brach is a fucking supernatural ninja. He is an unstoppable force of nature. Indeed, he may be Nature itself. Brad Brach is kicking ass at 3-dimensional chess while the rest of us are clueless about how to take the top off the box of Checkers.

Brad Brach was purposefully engineering a scenario in which tens of thousands of Yankee fans would become extremely excited and believe their team's victory was imminent (nay, that they were entitled to a victory). And then Brad Brach would decimate every last one of those hopes by summarily vanquishing the Yankees' two supposed pillars of offensive might.

Brad Brach could have made Aaron Judge hit into a triple play. But he did not. Brad Brach also sought to have Giancarlo Stanton fail and have that failure conclude the game in a horrifically depressing manner for all Yankee fans. And so he did, controlling the cosmos as purposefully as any act of Almighty God (who I am given to understand has a poster of Brad Brach on His wall).

And we saw that it was good.

Brad Brach would perhaps prefer I not call attention to his plan and purpose. I have no wish to displease Brad Brach, as I am fearful of the grand power he possesses. However, I feel duty bound to bear witness.

Schadenfreude 220 (A Continuing Series)

Dan Martin, Post:

Bases loaded, no one out in the 12th inning of a one-run game, with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton coming up.

What seemed like a setup for a YES Network Yankee Classic instead became the finale of a particularly ugly weekend in The Bronx, where the Yankees lost nearly as many games to the Orioles as they did players to the disabled list.

Judge, facing Baltimore closer Brad Brach, hit a comebacker that the pitcher turned into a 1-2-5 double play [the first in Orioles history!!]. And Stanton followed with yet another strikeout, his fifth of the afternoon in an 8-7 loss that took 4 hours, 48 minutes to play. ...

[T]he Yankees are limping into Boston, where they'll face the streaking Red Sox at Fenway Park on Tuesday.

In the meantime, they'll stew on this loss, their third in four games at home to the Orioles — and one in which they blew a 5-0 first-inning lead. ...

Stanton was booed after almost every at-bat ...

Dan Martin, Post (early edition):

The Yankees ended an ugly weekend in the worst way possible, with an 8-7 loss to the Orioles that saw them blow several chances to pull out a win — including when Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton came up empty to end it.

Austin Romine and Didi Gregorius opened the 12th on Sunday with walks before Brett Gardner reached on a bunt that reliever Brad Brach mishandled to load the bases with no outs. But Judge then grounded a comebacker that Brach turned into a double play and the struggling Stanton ended it with his fifth strikeout in an 0-for-7 performance. ...

[New York] dropped three of four to a Baltimore team that entered the series with a five-game losing streak.

[T]he Yankees had a great chance to win the game in the 10th against ex-Yankee southpaw Richard Bleier, who threw three shutout innings.

Adam Jones lost Didi Gregorius' fly ball and it fell for a one-out double. Brett Gardner followed with a fly ball to left that a lunging Gentry barely managed to catch up to. Baltimore manager Buck Showalter elected to walk Judge intentionally to get to the struggling Stanton and Stanton grounded to third on the first pitch to end the inning.

Stanton heard boos again...

John Healy, Daily News:

The Yankees looked like they were in for an easy win with a five-run first inning, instead they hit the road dropping three of their last four.

The Yankees blew a 5-0 lead and fell to the Orioles, 8-7, in 12 innings — their second extra inning loss of the weekend — and dropped the four-game series three to one. ...

The boos rained down on Stanton again as he finished 0-for-7 with five strikeouts.

Yankees starter Jordan Montgomery faltered after being handed a 5-0 lead in the first inning, allowing four runs on 10 hits and two walks through 4.1 innings. ...

Stanton now has 20 strikeouts in 42 at bats this season. ...

The Baltimore relievers held the Yankees to two runs in 11.1 innings as they crept back into the game and defeated the Bombers in extra innings for the second time in three days.

ESPN Stats & Information: "Giancarlo Stanton is the first Yankees player in the live-ball era [since 1920] to have 2 games with 0 hits and 5 strikeouts."

First Homestand As A Yankee

First game: 0-for-5, 5 strikeouts
Last game:  0-for-7, 5 strikeouts
Boos: Too many to count

This Season

Season (10 games): 7-for-42 (.167), 20 strikeouts
Bases empty: 3-for-19 (.158)
Men on base: 4-for-23 (.174)
Men on second and/or third: 1-for-10 (.100)
After Opening Day: 4-for-37 (.108), 19 strikeouts
Six-Game Homestand: 3-for-28 (.107), 16 strikeouts
Since March 31: 3-for-last-32 (.094), 17 strikeouts

Ken Davidoff, Post:

This was predictable.

OK, maybe not two platinum sombreros in his first week wearing the pinstripes, or Giancarlo Stanton looking more lost at home plate than the titular band of "This Is Spinal Tap" wandering backstage in Cleveland.

But the game's highest-paid player, and the reigning National League Most Valuable Player, from a team that didn't play a meaningful September game in his eight seasons there, directing himself to the Yankees and then getting off to a lousy start and receiving an ocean of boos?

More predictable than rush-hour traffic in The Bronx.

The Yankees suffered a terrible, 12-inning, 8-7 loss to the Orioles Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium, and you couldn't have drawn up a more fitting conclusion than the new guy Stanton receiving a situation to be the hero, only to wind up the goat once more. The big guy's strikeout against Baltimore right-hander Brad Brach, with teammates on first and second and two outs, concluded this four-hour, 48-minute slog — and followed Aaron Judge's 1-2-5 double play with the bases loaded and none out — and gave Stanton five whiffs on the day, tying his career high ... which he established in Tuesday's home opener.

In the six games of this homestand, during which the Yankees went a modest 3-3, Stanton posted a .107/.167/.214 slash line with one home run, two singles, two walks and ... wait for it ... 16 strikeouts in 27 at-bats. ...

Sunday proved quite a capper, as he stranded nine teammates and committed a throwing error in right field.

John Harper, Daily News:

This is the nightmare scenario for any newcomer, but especially the one with the biggest contract in baseball, with the world watching to see if he can handle the bright lights in New York.

So now we're going to find out in a hurry about whether Giancarlo Stanton, the most feared slugger in the game, has the necessary mental toughness to go with all of that power.

Is he going to be another Bobby Bonilla, who was so freaked out over getting booed as a highly paid Mets free agent that he resorted to using earplugs and never came close to living up to expectations? ...

[C]onsidering that the fans don't really care much about baseball in Miami, it's fair to say he's never been through anything quite like this, the pressure to produce mounting with every strikeout, every round of resounding boos. ...

Stanton may have had the worst first homestand in the history of baseball. Twice he struck out five times in a game, including Sunday when he swung through a 93-mph fastball down the middle from Brad Brach to end the game, leaving the tying and winning runs on base. ...

For the season he has struck out 20 times, while hitting .167. But his skid is worse than that: in the nine games since his grand opener, he is hitting .108 (4-for-37) with one home run and three RBI, as well as 19 Ks. If all that wasn't humbling enough, Buck Showalter walked Judge intentionally to pitch to Stanton in the 10th inning with the winning run at second base, and journeyman lefty Richard Bleier got the Yankee slugger to hit a routine ground ball to third to end the inning. ...

So where does Stanton go from here? To Boston, as fate would have it, where he'll get his first taste of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry, and no doubt a different kind of booing from the Fenway Faithful. ...

How he responds could be quite revealing. ... [T]he longer this nightmare scenario lingers, the more dangerous it becomes for him.

Zach Braziller, Post:

From the start, something was amiss. Even in his scoreless innings, Jordan Montgomery put multiple runners on base. ...

It was his poor fastball command that led to one of the more disappointing outings of his brief career.

Handed a five-run lead, Montgomery gave four back, failed to even make it through the fifth inning, and allowed a career-high 10 hits ...

He helped turn what looked like an easy win into an ugly defeat. ...

Without the fastball command, Montgomery relied mostly on his offspeed pitches, and he was unable to put away hitters.

Bonus, from Saturday morning:

Elias: "Pedro Alvarez's 14th-inning grand slam was both the latest to be hit by innings in Orioles history and the latest by innings allowed in Yankees history."