The Boston Red Sox opened their season Friday with an extra-innings 6-5 loss over the New York Yankees that came right down to the wire. Nathan Eovaldi threw five innings in his season-opening start for Boston but Xander Bogaerts left early.
Rafael Devers got the Sox on the board while fans were still trying to find their seats, as after Kiké Hernandez worked a four-pitch walk Devers launched a two-run big fly into the second deck. Bogaerts then roped a loud single off the wall that came off the bat at 111.8, before J.D. Martinez drove him in with a single down the left-field line that scored him from first to make it 3-0.
As Boston did, New York came out swinging. Aaron Judge’s single was followed up by an Anthony Rizzo homer in the first two at-bats of the game, and Giancarlo Stanton’s fourth-inning solo homer tied it up.
The Sox would regain the lead against Chad Green in the top of the sixth though as Bogaerts — who doubled — was singled home by Alex Verdugo to make it 4-3. That was followed by two scoreless innings from Garrett Whitlock that saw five whiffs on six swings for his slider.
But, Whitlock let up a solo blast to D.J. LeMahieu with one out in the eighth that tied it. Matt Strahm would be summoned on to end the inning. Aroldis Chapman shut Boston down 1-2-3 in the ninth, and Hansel Robles had the bottom half of the ninth. Aaron Judge lined a two-out double down the left-field line which was followed by a Rizzo intentional walk to avoid the righty-lefty-matchup for Robles, which brought up Stanton, who struck out swinging to send it to extras.
With the extra innings ghost runner rule still in place for this season, Jonathan Arauz pinch-ran for Christian Vazquez, and with one out the Yankees intentionally walked Devers to bring up Bogaerts. Bogaerts made them pay though as he blooped an RBI single into left field that scored Arauz and made it a 5-4 game, though a Martinez double play retired the side. As Bogaerts hit the single though, he hobbled out of the box though it wasn’t clear what it was before leaving the game.
Jake Diekman opened the bottom of the 10th by hitting LeMaheiu which put two runners on (along with the ghost runner), and a weak ground ball from Joey Gallo moved the runners up to second and third base. Diekman walked Aaron Hicks to intentionally load the bases before Ryan Brasier was summoned on with the bases loaded and one out.
Brasier let up a sac fly to Gleyber Torres that tied it at 5-5, but a 10-pitch at-bat between Brasier and Isaiah Kiner-Falefa resulted in a strikeout on the third payoff pitch of the at-bat.
Kutter Crawford to begin the 11th would allow a leadoff single and the ghost runner would score though as in his second major-league outing he allowed a walk-off base hit.
Eovaldi ended his day allowing three runs on five hits while walking one and striking out seven across his five innings of work.
Tomorrow, it’s Nick Pivetta vs. Luis Severino at 4:05 p.m. ET.
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