4 takeaways as Yankees rally, claim opener vs. Red Sox in 11 innings
The Red Sox gave up the game-winner to Josh Donaldson in the 11th.
Here are the takeaways as Josh Donaldson singled in the game-winning run in the bottom of the 11th on Friday to lead the Yankees over the Red Sox 6-5 in their season opener.
The Big Picture
The Red Sox bats were hot early — Kiké Hernández walked, and Rafael Devers blasted a two-run homer to right to start the game. Then Xander Bogaerts singled and scored on J.D. Martinez’s double. The Red Sox had three runs before the Yankees could record an out.
The Yankees got two back in the bottom of the frame on a homer by Anthony Rizzo. In the fourth, they evened the score when Giancarlo Stanton ripped a line drive that cleared the fence in a blink. The Red Sox pushed a run around in the sixth when Alex Verdugo singled in Bogaerts.
But the Yankees weren’t done — facing their penultimate opportunity at the plate, D.J. LeMahieu snuck a fly ball over the right-field wall to even the game at 4-4. After a scoreless ninth, the game went into extra innings.
Facing the now-standard runner on second to start the 10th, the Yankees intentionally walked Devers, and Bogaerts punished them by driving in a go-ahead run with a single.
But Gleyber Torres hit a sacrifice fly that scored Marwin Gonzalez in the 10th. A scoreless top-half of the 11th set up Donaldson for his ground-ball heroics.
Star(s) of the Game
Rafael Devers: 1-for-4, run, two RBIs, homer
Xander Bogaerts: 3-for-5, two runs, RBI, double
The Red Sox couldn’t agree on a contract with either Devers or Bogaerts before the season. That subplot could linger in the background all season, even if Bogaerts hopes it doesn’t.
What It Means
Baseball is back! As Sox Notes pointed out on Twitter, the Red Sox also lost on Opening Day in 2004, 2007 and 2018, as well as last year. Each of those seasons ended pretty well.
Takeaways
1. Bogaerts had a great stat line in his first game since expressing disappointment that he and the Red Sox couldn’t make a new contract happen — 3-for-5 at the plate with a pair of runs to go with his go-ahead RBI single in the 10th inning.
But Bogaerts’s final hit was concerning for the Red Sox — he appeared to pull something as he swung, and he left the game afterward. He later told reporters he had a “tight hamstring.”
2. Garrett Whitlock gave up the homer to LeMahieu that tied the game in the eighth after a pair of pristine innings.
Nathan Eovaldi pitched just five innings, so Alex Cora seemed to want to stretch Whitlock’s appearance as long as he could. A third consecutive frame, however, seemed to give the Yankees the look they needed at the pitcher they lost in the 2020 Rule 5 draft.
3. New infielder acquisition Trevor Story — who inked a six-year $140 million deal prior to the season — will need to wait a day for his next chance to make a good first impression. He finished 0-for-5 at the plate, including a strikeout in the top of the 11th when the Red Sox really needed a run to keep the Yankees on their heels.
4. Red Sox announcers Dave O’Brien and Dennis Eckersley talked briefly on the broadcast about their friend and former co-worker Jerry Remy, who died in October.
“We have a tremendous void in our broadcast booth and I know we all do in our hearts as we remember our great pal Jerry Remy,” O’Brien mentioned at one point when the camera panned to a “Remy 2” patch on the Red Sox uniforms.
“He’s a friend in the booth to everybody who care about the Red Sox, watched and loved the ball club,” O’Brien later added. ” … He wouldn’t want us to be sad today, because there’s nothing like Opening Day for Jerry.”
The Yankees and Red Sox are scheduled to face off Saturday again at 4:05 p.m.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com