In two of the most satisfying wins of the 2019 campaign so far, the Red Sox have pounded the Yankees in front of sell-out crowds at Fenway Park.
Thursday’s 19-3 win marked season highs for Boston in runs (19), hits (23), doubles (10) and extra-base hits (14). The 19 runs were the most scored against New York in Red Sox franchise history.
Thursday’s series opener included seven first-inning runs for Boston, the most for Boston against the Yankees in an opening frame since scoring eight on September 26, 1989. The game included a 4-for-6 night for Xander Bogaerts, including two home runs, one of which had a career-best estimated distance of 451 feet.
On Friday, the Sox again jumped to an early 3-0 lead in the first then tacked on seven more before ending the night with a 10-5 victory. Boston has scored 42 first-inning runs over their last 25 games after scoring just 33 such runs over their first 80 games of the season. The final score gives the Sox a franchise-best five-game streak with eight or more runs against New York, besting four-game streaks in 1903 and 1912.
Before the first two games of this series the Yankees had not allowed 10+ opponent runs in back-to-back games since June 2015.
Betts Blasts
Friday’s game included a lead off home run for Mookie Betts followed by home runs in his next two at-bats, matching a Red Sox record for consecutive plate appearances with a home run. It’s the seventh time that’s been accomplished in club history, already the second time for Betts.
For Mookie, Friday’s was his fifth career game with three or more home runs, more than any other Boston player in history. Betts is now one of just eight Major Leaguers to reach as many as five such games joining Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodríguez, Mark McGwire, Dave Kingman, Carlos Delgado, Joe Carter and Hall of Famer Johnny Mize. Betts has what’s presumably a long career ahead to tie and even surpass Sosa and Mize who each have an MLB-best six such games.
Starting Depth
After two shaky outings in a Sox uniform, newcomer Andrew Cashner delivered 6.2 solid innings against the Yankees on Friday. Cashner allowed 10 hit but just three runs with a walk and six strikeouts on his way to a 10th win of the season.
Red Sox starters have now worked 6.0+ IP in six straight games, the team’s longest streak of the season. Boston starters have allowed four earned runs or fewer in each of those six games, including three or fewer ER in each of the last five.
Red Sox relievers Marcus Walden, Josh Taylor and Brandon Workman combined for 2.1 shutout innings of work, but Workman was only pressed into service when Heath Hembree stumbled, allowing two runs (one earned) without recording an out in the ninth.
Hembree has now allowed at least one earned run in three of his last five appearances, including three Blue Jays runs (and no outs) on July 16. His ERA over the past five outings is a staggering 16.88.