Red Sox overpower Yankees, snap Rodon’s seven-game winstreak

16/06/2024

BOSTON — Rafael Devers hit a two-run double and the Boston Red Sox ended Carlos Rodón’s seven-start winning streak by beating the New York Yankees 8-4 on Saturday night.

Tyler O’Neill and rookie Jamie Westbrook had RBI doubles in a three-run first inning for the Red Sox, who rebounded from an 8-1 loss in Friday’s series opener to win before just the second sellout at Fenway Park this season.

“It was better today than yesterday,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of the atmosphere. “They’re into the game. … Regardless of where we’re at, people care. It’s been fun the last two days.”

Boston improved to 33-9 wearing their City Connect uniforms with bright yellow jerseys and powder blue lettering, including 18-5 in the past two years.

Rodón (9-3) had allowed three or fewer runs in 13 of 14 starts this season. O’Neill and Westbrook sandwiched their doubles around Connor Wong’s run-scoring single.

“It just looked like he was in the heart of the plate a lot,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Rodón. “I thought his stuff was good.”

Rodón gave up five runs, seven hits and three walks over five innings in his first loss since May 2.

“I just left some balls in the middle part of the plate,” he said of his first two innings. “They hit some balls really hard off me and I just didn’t get to the area I wanted to, and put the team down. Five runs was tough, hard for them to claw their way out of it. That’s on me.”

Juan Soto hit a solo homer and DJ LeMahieu had a two-run single for the major league-best Yankees (50-23), who had won nine of their previous 10 road games.

“Playing the Green Monster can be fun,” said Soto, who was in left field, “but it’s that fun when you’re seeing a lot of balls hitting the wall.”

Justin Slaten (4-2) worked 2 2/3 innings of one-run relief, striking out Giancarlo Stanton swinging to strand the bases loaded in the fifth.

“It’s everything you see as a kid growing up,” he said of his first time in a Red Sox-Yankees matchup. “This rivalry goes back a long ways. It’s something you can feel coming in the clubhouse every day, stepping out onto the field for the anthem and all throughout the game. … It’s a really surreal feeling, honestly.”

Kenley Jansen got the final four outs for his 11th save in 12 chances, the 431st of his big league career.

After LeMahieu’s single sliced it to 3-2 in the second against Cooper Criswell, Devers lined his double into the left-center gap in the bottom of the inning.

Soto hit his 18th homer of Slaten, an opposite-field drive that just cleared the top of the Green Monster, and caromed back onto the field in the seventh.

Boston added a pair of runs in the eighth when Jarren Duran had an RBI single and scored from third on a throwing error by catcher Jose Trevino.

Before the game, the Red Sox honoured the NCAA basketball champion UConn. Alex Karaban, who grew up about 30 minutes away in Southborough, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Yankees: Ace RHP Gerrit Cole returned to the club and said he was “feeling good” after his third rehab start Friday night. Boone said the club would decide in the next few days if he’ll join the rotation or make another rehab start.

Red Sox: OF Wilyer Abreu (right ankle sprain) ran the bases. Cora said he was feeling good and the team will talk next week about his potential return. … Cora said reliever Chris Martin (anxiety) will start a rehab assignment Sunday.

UP NEXT

Yankees RHP Marcus Stroman (6-2, 2.82 ERA) is set to start Sunday night’s series finale against Red Sox RHP Kutter Crawford (2-6, 3.47).

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