Red Sox Notes: Boston Relished In Rivalry Atmosphere Vs. Yankees
BOSTON — The Red Sox knew what to anticipate when welcoming the arch-rival Yankees to Fenway Park for a three-game clash, but Sunday night’s Father’s Day thriller was the cherry on top.
“Tonight was awesome,” Red Sox starter Kutter Crawford said after Boston’s 9-3 win over New York. “Fenway was great, the fans were great. They were right up from the first pitch to the last and that was fun.”
New York grabbed a quick advantage, which came courtesy of a towering Aaron Judge solo home run in the first inning. Rather than falling discouraged, Boston didn’t only respond, the team did so in record-setting fashion by racking up nine stolen bases off Yankees catcher Jose Trevino. Needless to explain why with just a single extra-base hit — Connor Wong’s seventh-inning triple — generating run-scoring opportunities became infinitely easier for the Red Sox throughout the night.
“It just kind of shows when we can run the bases like we can it does a lot for the team and puts us in a good spot,” Jarren Duran, who was responsible for stealing two bases, said postgame.
New York, too, didn’t go down without a fight, rallying in the sixth and seventh innings, however, the energy was contagious in Boston’s dugout. Whenever the Yankees were preparing to deliver a punch, the Red Sox patiently sat ready to deliver an even harder one until the offense helped run away with a previously tight contest.
“That was good baseball tonight,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora explained. “Expect that from us. We got a bunch of athletes. It just happens that three of them are getting on base. Obviously, the lineup did an outstanding job in the series and we were able to put pressure on them. It was fun to watch and we played well. We did an outstanding job against their starters. … It was a good win for us.”
Here are more notes from Sunday night’s Red Sox-Yankees matchup:
— The Red Sox finished with nine stolen bases, shattering a franchise record set by the organization’s 1940 team in September 1940 against the then-Philadelphia Athletics.
“I think the identity is showing up now,” Cora feels. “Just a bunch of athletes putting good at-bats, getting healthy, which is the most important thing, and it feels like the lineup is a lot longer now.”
— Boston improved to an MLB-best 12-1 on Sundays, logging an American League-leading 2.70 ERA after having allowed just 33 earned runs in 110 innings pitched thus far in said games.
“Our pitchers are absolute studs,” Duran said. “I know position players get a lot of credit ’cause we’re in there every inning and stuff, but super proud of our pitchers always. They’re absolute studs in the pen and starters, and they really did a good job today and I’m happy for them.”
— Relief pitcher Zack Kelly inherited a high-pressured situation, taking the mound in the seventh inning after the Yankees loaded the bases with nobody out. But the 29-year-old bailed Boston out, striking out two New York batters and pitching to a fly-out to escape the frame unscathed.
“I don’t remember,” Kelly responded when asked about recording the final out in the inning. “Just a lot of adrenaline.”
— Crawford snapped a seven-game winless streak by pitching six innings while allowing three runs off three hits to New York, finishing with nine strikeouts while also improving to 3-6 this season.
“It’s progress for me in the right direction,” Crawford explained. “Obviously, I gave up some runs, some homers and whatnot, but my ability to attack the strike zone from the first pitch to the last pitch is a big step for me and its progress in the right direction.”
— The Red Sox will get back to work and begin a six-game road trip starting Monday night in Toronto against the Blue Jays. First pitch from Rogers Centre is set for 7:07 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, live on NESN.