The Boston Red Sox entered their three-game weekend series with the New York Yankees as one of the hottest teams in MLB, and they left Yankee Stadium the same way.
Although runs were significantly harder to come by on Sunday night after starters Kutter Crawford and Luis Gil underwent a pitching duel, the Red Sox refused to go down without a fight. Putting aside a discouraging 14-4 loss 24 hours prior, Boston mustered up just enough offense to support the phenomenal performance provided by the pitching staff.
So… what did Boston learn following its impressive 3-0 win over New York?
“We definitely can compete,” Rafael Devers told ESPN, as translated from Spanish by ex-big leaguer-turned-analyst Eduardo Pérez. “We’re a young team but we’re practicing and learning on a daily basis. In the beginning, the defense wasn’t there, but now it is and we continue to execute and I’m really proud of where this team is going.”
The Red Sox flipped the switch after entering the season as one of the most counted-out clubs in the league to a squad with three All-Stars — Devers, Jarren Duran and Tanner Houck — pushing for a spot in the postseason. Boston started the first half of 2024 anchored with a handful of injuries impacting the rotation and lineup, but the club never used it as an excuse and instead called upon the next man up to pitch in.
Devers felt as though it was his turn to deliver on Sunday night, going yard not once, but twice to help the Red Sox apply some much-needed offensive pressure on the Yankees.
“(I) felt more comfortable against Luis Gil with the first (at-bat). Why? Because (I) had seen him before,” Devers explained, as translated by Pérez. “So (I) already knew his repertoire and was able to then take advantage and drive the ball to left field.”
While the Red Sox left New York winners in eight of their last 11 games, Devers left with a career total of 16 home runs crushed in Yankee Stadium — tying Hall of Famer David Oritz for the third-most homers hit by a visiting player in New York’s ballpark.
Here are more notes from Sunday night’s Red Sox-Yankees game:
— Crawford pitched seven scoreless innings on the mound, finishing the Yankees off by escaping a lead-off double (by Juan Soto) jam in the seventh. The 28-year-old improved to 5-7 with a 3.24 ERA this season.
— Boston has won 16 of its last 22 games while New York has lost 16 of its last 22 games.
— The victory places the Red Sox 1 1/2 games ahead of the Kansas City Royals for the third wild-card spot in the American League.
— Boston improved to an MLB-best 14-1 on Sunday’s.
— The Red Sox will next return home to open up a three-game series against the Oakland Athletics, starting Tuesday night. First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET., and you can watch the game, plus a full hour of pregame coverage, live on NESN.
