With a win on Sunday the Red Sox avoided a Yankees sweep of what became a 3-game series after Thursday’s rainout, which will be made up as the second game of a split-admission doubleheader on Saturday, August 3. Sunday’s win also ended a four-game losing streak for Boston, their second such streak in 2019 after never losing more than three in a row last year.
Boston bats came alive and, aided by some defensive miscues by New York (and in particular Clint Frazier), put up eight runs. Sunday’s run tally for the Sox bested the seven total runs they managed over their first four games of the season, all losses, against New York in 2019.
David Price, who entered the game with a team starter’s best ERA of 2.83, had been 8-8 with 4.83 ERA in 21 career starts in the Bronx. With Boston he’d gone 1-6 there with an outsized 8.59 ERA. But on Sunday Price was outstanding, allowing just two runs on six hits with a walk and six strikeouts over 6.1 IP. Price has now allowed three or fewer runs in eight straight starts. His now 16 career wins against the Yankees are the most of any active major league pitcher.
For their part, New York countered with CC Sabathia, now in the final year of his career. Sabathia, 38, may not be the force he once was, but the hefty hurler played well Sunday, striking out a season-high eight Red Sox but allowing three runs, including home runs by J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts, over 6.0 IP. For now, Sabathia will have to wait for his 250th career win, the most among actives. His career strikeout total now stands at 3,028, the 17th-most in major league history.
Red Sox Martinez now has 8 HR over his last 19 games. Bogaerts became just the third Sox batter with a double and a home run in back-to-back games in Yankees turf, the first since Gary Geiger in 1963.
Bogaerts, who signed a six-year, $120 million extension with Boston this April, is playing with confidence and, perhaps, without worries about his future. Over his last 20 games the X-man has slashed .395 AVG/.473 OBP/.691 SLG with 24 runs scored, nine doubles, five home runs, 16 RBI and 12 walks.
In all, the Sox belted 13 hits on Sunday with multi-hit efforts from Bogaerts, Martinez, Andrew Benintendi and Eduardo Núñez. Left off the hit parade was Mookie Betts, who went 0-for-5. It was the third time Betts was 0-5 this season; he had four such games in all of 2018. Betts is now 1-for-18 in 2019 facing New York after a 27-for-65 (.415) campaign against them last season.