The New York Yankees kicked off the 10 game homestand right with an unbelievably dramatic victory over the Boston Red Sox.
- Boston Red Sox: 2 (17-12)
- New York Yankees: 3 (10-17)
- American League, FINAL, Box Score
- Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
By Christian Kouroupakis
Folks, this is no fairy tale. Everything went right for the New York Yankees to defeat the Boston Red Sox on Friday night. In fact, it was arguably the biggest win of the young season.
Michael Pineda got the ball for New York hoping to make a turn in his season, as it has been a struggle, to say the least. Coming in with a 1-3 record and a 6.33 ERA, Pineda battled through six innings of two-run ball while striking out four.
Unfortunately for Big Mike, his non-win streak has extended to five starts after earning a no-decision.
The Yankees’ offense only managed three runs on six hits but it was just enough to squeeze by. Aaron Hicks got the big hit in the bottom of the seventh which was a go-ahead solo shot into the bleachers in right to give his squad a one-run lead. Brian McCann and Dustin Ackley each drove in a run as well.
Boston got a decent outing from Rick Porcello who dealt a quality start (7 IP, 3 ER) but gave up the big blow to Hicks that sent his optimistic start into a disappointing was.
David Oritz provided the only offense for the Yankees’ rivals with a two-run shot off a hanging curveball in the first inning off Pineda. It was career home run 510 for the 40-year old designated hitter.
Thanks to the solo jack by the Yankees’ fourth outfielder, the ball was placed into the left hand of Andrew Miller. The interim closer recorded his sixth save of the season and maintained his 0.00 ERA but most importantly, secured a New York Yankee win.
Yankees win!
FINAL: #Yankees 3, Red Sox 2. #StartSpreadingTheNews pic.twitter.com/8UNfYWlHv3
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 7, 2016
Ninth Inning Fiasco:
Things got interesting in the top of the ninth inning.
With David Ortiz at the dish with the bases loaded, Miller threw a breaking ball that controversially caught the outside corner. McCann got locked up on the pitch and it appeared to be four feet out of the zone but home plate umpire Ron Kulpa made a strike call anyways.
The call resulted in an explosion from Red Sox manager John Farrell as he stormed out of the dugout and was ejected from the ballgame.
After Ortiz made his way to the dugout, he began to bark and Kulpa and was then ejected from the contest. Following the ejection he stormed at the man who made the call and had to be restrained by his teammates and coaches.
Here’s the strike call that David Ortiz went nuts about pic.twitter.com/Ibd0G2IbxB
— Baseball Fam (@ShtBallPlayrsDo) May 7, 2016
Two-Out Rally:
It seems as though every time Big Mike takes the hill, he always gets two quick outs before things go to hell.
In the first inning, Pineda retired Mookie Betts and Dustin Pedroia on 11 pitches but after allowing a double to Xander Bogarts, he allowed a two-run home run to David Ortiz.
Entering this game, hitters were slashing .469/.509/.959 with a 1.469 OPS and five (now six) home runs with two outs against the right-hander. Whether it’s pitch selection or lack of composure, Pineda has grave difficulty finishing off innings.
Yankee Killer:
There is nothing Big Papi loves more than teeing off on the New York Yankees. His home run in the first gave him homer number 50 against New York which made him the sixth player in history to go deep that many times off the Bombers.
He joins Jimmie Foxx (70), Ted Williams (62), Manny Ramirez (55), Hank Greenburg (53), Carl Yastrzemski (52) and now, David Ortiz.
Big Apple. Big Papi. No. 510.https://t.co/iHzGgwWc2f #RedSox pic.twitter.com/iZe2KelGue
— Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) May 6, 2016
Injury Bug:
On Wednesday night, Alex Rodriguez was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a hamstring strain and CC Sabathia was surprisingly placed on the DL today with a left groin strain. Looks like another one just got bit by the bug.
In the bottom of the first in the victory, Jacoby Ellsbury hurt his hip against his former team after taking third base on a pass ball. Ellsbury stayed in the game for a brief moment to score a run prior to exiting the game.
Manager Joe Girardi stated in his post-game press conference how he suffered a hip strain and is considered to be day-to-day.
With the Yankees relying on their centerfielder to provide from the leadoff spot and to wreak havoc on the base paths. Entering Friday, Ellsbury was 7-for-21 (.333) with three doubles, three runs scored, and four walks in the previous seven games.
CF Jacoby Ellsbury left tonight’s game with a tight right hip and will undergo an MRI
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) May 7, 2016
Chapman Update:
Eligible for his return from a 30-game suspension for an alleged domestic incident on Monday night, Aroldis Chapman had his final tuneup in an extended spring training game on Friday afternoon.
The flamethrower struck out all three batters he faced in Tampa. His fastball sat at an electrifying 98 MPH and a talent evaluator raved that his slider and off-speed pitch were “spectacular.”
In final tuneup before heading to NY, Chapman struck out all 3 he faced in extended spring game today. Then K’d 2 in 2/3 inn of sim game
— Erik Boland (@eboland11) May 6, 2016
What’s Next:
Game two of this three-game set will take place tomorrow afternoon in the Bronx.
David Price (4-0, 6.14 ERA) vs Nathan Eovaldi (1-2, 5.46 ERA)
Nasty Nate takes the mound in game two of this series after getting lit up for six runs on 10 hits over five innings the start following an outing in which he flirted with a no-hitter.
On Sunday night, the Price was wrong for David as his inconsistency has given the idea that maybe his $217-million contract was a little much.
Anyway, despite his 6.14 ERA the left-hander has been worth the big bucks on the road. He owns a 2-0 record with a 2.57 ERA while striking out 24 over 14 innings of work outside the friendly confines of Fenway Park.
