Yankees defeat rival Red Sox in weekend thriller

The Yankees took two critical games from the rival Red Sox in three high-scoring blowouts to pull into a tie for first place in the division.

Yankees C.C. Sabathia dominated the Sox in Game 1, displaying an impressive start for an 8-1 victory in the opener. His final line: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. The offense put on an exciting display, amassing 11 hits and four home runs, two of which came off the bat of Greg Bird. His performance in this game will hopefully indicate improvement in his future play.

Game 2 was a different story. Another horrendous performance by Sonny Gray and Chris Sale’s power over the Yanks yielded a miserable 11-1 loss. Gray surrendered a grand slam to give the Sox an early lead in the first inning. The team failed to gain momentum after that, and the struggles for Gray only continued for the duration of his short outing. His line: 2.1 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 0 K.

Adam Warren, Giovanny Gallegos, Jonathan Holder, and Chasen Shreve combined for a dismal bullpen performance, pitching 6.2 IP, 10 H, 5 ER, 1 BB. Offensively, the Yankees fell way short, collecting only two hits.

ESPN’s Coley Harvey covered Sonny Gray’s postgame interview. Gray admitted his disappointment and embarrassment with the performance.

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"“If I was out there, I probably would’ve booed me louder,” Gray said. “I understand how important these games are and understand how important every game is, especially here with the Yankees. We expect to win.”“To play like we did [Friday] and to play like we’ve been playing and then to come out [Saturday] and kind of just spot them six runs in the first two innings, that’s just disappointing.”"

Austin Romine left the contest early after experiencing left hamstring tightness. Though his MRI returned negative, the injury could impact his play for potentially several days.

In contrast to the previous night, the Yankees offense exploded in Game 3. The lineup utterly demolished Sox pitcher David Price. The first eight runs came via the long ball; a solo shot by Aaron Judge, followed by a three-run shot by Gleyber Torres and a two-run shot by Aaron Hicks for the early lead. Then, Kyle Higashioka earned his first Major League hit after crushing a ball to left field, and Hicks put up an 8-spot with a solo blast that took Price out of the game.

Then, Kyle Higashioka earned his first major league hit after crushing a ball to left field, and Hicks put up an 8-spot with a solo blast that knocked Price out of the game.

Luis Severino continued to shine in another impressive performance: 6.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. Aaron Hicks clobbered three home runs, becoming the first Yankee to do so since Alex Rodriguez in 2015. The team rebounded from the previous night’s loss in grand fashion, winning 11-1.

This series was the most important up to this point in the season. It foreshadows a future playoff showdown. Despite Game 2’s loss, the Yankees scored 17 runs. They can move forward feeling more confident against their rival opponent. They’ll next face the Sox in Boston for a four-game set beginning on August 2.

The Yankees will play one more series at home against the Atlanta Braves before departing on a 10-day road trip. Jonathan Loaisiga (2-0, 1.93 ERA) is set to face Anibal Sanchez (3-2, 2.68 ERA) in Game 1 of the series on Monday. Loaisiga has pitched very well in two starts thus far, and he’ll look to continue his dominance in the Bronx.

Domingo Germán (2-4, 5.32 ERA) faces Sean Newcomb (8-2, 2.71 ERA) in Game 2. C.C. Sabathia 95-3, 3.02 ERA) takes on Julio Teheran (6-5, 4.21 ERA) in Game 3.

Next: Yankees pitching rumors

The Yankees will look to continue their offensive power and pitching success in the upcoming series to regain first place in the AL East. The team hopes to close out the homestand with a winning series against the Braves.