Field Level Media
May 9, 2018
Brett Gardner hit a go-ahead, two-run triple, and Aaron Judge followed with a mammoth two-run homer with one out in the eighth inning as the host New York Yankees pulled out a 9-6 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night.
Gardner began the night with a .198 average but capped his first three-hit game of the year by lifting Craig Kimbrel's 96 mph fastball soaring over center fielder Mookie Betts' head to give the Yankees a 7-6 lead.
Gardner's hit scored Neil Walker and Gleyber Torres, who slid in headfirst just ahead of the relay throw. Walker started the rally with a double, and Torres drew a walk against Matt Barnes (0-1).
After Gardner's triple, Judge followed with his ninth homer of the season.
Judge launched Kimbrel's 1-2 fastball into the netting over Monument Park beyond the center field fence. The ball left Judge's bat at 117 mph and traveled an estimated 429 feet.
By thwarting Kimbrel's attempt to get his first career five-out save, the Yankees won their eighth straight game and posted their 17th victory in 18 games. It is their best stretch since June 2-18, 1953.
Before Gardner and Judge delivered their big hits, the Red Sox took a 6-5 lead on Hanley Ramirez's 437-foot, two-run homer off Chad Green in the seventh.
Jonathan Holder (1-1) retired Andrew Benintendi with the bases loaded to end the eighth, and Aroldis Chapman allowed one hit while striking out the side for his ninth save.
Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run double and Judge added an RBI single as the Yankees won their 11th straight home game. Sacrifice flies by Aaron Hicks and Gary Sanchez accounted for the other New York runs.
Mitch Moreland hit a two-run homer and Benintendi added a solo shot for the Red Sox. Eduardo Nunez drove in the other Boston run with a sacrifice fly.
The starting pitchers produced nearly identical lines.
New York's Masahiro Tanaka allowed four runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings while Boston's Rick Porcello allowed season highs of five runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings.
New York took a 1-0 lead four pitches into the game when Gardner rang a double off the right-center fence and scored on Judge's single up the middle.
Boston took a 2-1 lead when Moreland hit a 2-0 sinker over the center field fence for his sixth homer of the season with one out in the second.
The Yankees responded with a three-run third, taking a 3-2 lead on Stanton's booming double to right field and adding a run on a sacrifice fly by Hicks.
Benintendi made it 4-3 when he lifted an 0-1 slider into the right field seats in the fifth. The Yankees loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning when Porcello hit Stanton below the left elbow and pushed the lead to 5-3 on Sanchez's sacrifice fly.
The Red Sox made it a one-run game for the second time on Nunez's sacrifice fly against Green in the sixth.
--Field Level Media