Pineda Ejected As Yankees Fall In Fenway

Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Fool me once, we let it go. Fool me twice, enjoy your suspension. Michael Pineda was ejected from tonight’s game in the second inning for having pine tar on his neck and was thrown out fo the game for doing so as the Yankees fell 5-1 to the Red Sox. The last time Pineda faced the Sox, he had it on his hand. The Red Sox knew about it, found it on video, got the umpire’s attention and got Pineda tossed.

Pineda, according to MLB rules, faces a possible 10 game suspension for his actions tonight.

In his first inning of work, Pineda labored through it. Grady Sizemore led off with a triple and Dustin Pedroia drove him in with a single. A single moved Pedroia to third, and he would score on A.J. Pierzynski‘s single to make it 2-0.

In the second, with two outs and a 1-2 count on Grady Sizemore, John Farrell called for a check of Pineda. They found the pine tar on his neck and threw him out.

In came David Phelps to strike out Sizemore. Then in the third, Derek Jeter‘s error on Pedroia’s grounder opened the flood gates. David Ortiz singled and Mike Napoli followed with a ground-rule double. Phelps’ wild pitch would add another run for the Sox.

The lone Yankee run would occur in the sixth. Carlos Beltran led off with a double, went to third on a groundout and scored on a sac fly by Alfonso Soriano.

The Sox would add one more in the eighth on a Brock Holt single.

The rubber game is tomorrow night at 7:05. CC Sabathia will need to step up and make a big start to help a tired Yankee bullpen against fellow lefty Felix Doubront.