BOSTON — The Yankees beat the Red Sox Saturday afternoon, by a score of 4-3 after Nathan Eovaldi and Adam Ottavino blew a three-run lead in the eighth.
The Red Sox got on the board early, as Kiké Hernández tripled, and Yankees’ second baseman Rougned Odor threw it into the seats as Hernández was sliding into third. He was granted the extra base, as he walked home giving the Sox the 1-0 lead.
In the second, Kevin Plawecki doubled home J.D. Martinez. The following inning, Jarren Duran reached on an error by second baseman Odor, and hustled his way to second base after centerfielder Estevan Florial lackadaisically jogged to get the ball. After Duran was moved to third, Rafael Devers knocked him in with a sac fly to make it 3-0.
Through the first seven innings, Nate Eovaldi was dominant. He allowed just five hits while punching out eight, not walking anybody.
But his scoreline would change dramatically in the eighth, as with two outs, two strikes, a runner on second, and the crowd on its feet, Brett Gardner singled home Florial to put New York on the board.
That wasn’t it though — Adam Ottavino came on to relieve Eovaldi, and he immediately allowed a double off Giancarlo Stanton to put runners on second and third. On the first pitch of the next at-bat, Rougned Odor walloped a two-run double into left, before Gleyber Torres would smack a first-pitch, RBI single to put the Yankees up 4-3. Ottavino would finally get out of it, as after he hit Greg Allen, Chris Gittens would ground out on a swinging bunt to retire the side.
Eovaldi’s stat line changed dramatically, as instead of seven scoreless frames, he threw 7.2 two-run innings, allowing seven hits. He hurled 100 pitches, 82 strikes, 37 four-seam fastballs, 20 curveballs, 18 cutters, 17 splitters, and eight sliders.
Boston got a pair of two-out base hits from Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers in the eighth, but J.D. Martinez would fly out to right fielder Greg Allen, who almost dropped the ball after colliding with centerfielder Florial, to retire the side.
Josh Taylor would throw a scoreless top half of the ninth, and the Sox would rally in the ninth. With two outs, Hunter Renfroe walked before Christian Vazquez blooped a ground-rule double down the right field line. But Hernandez struck out to end the ballgame, and give Boston their 39th loss of the season.
(Photo of Rafael Devers and Rob Brantly/Winslow Townson/Getty Images)