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“DIARY OF A WINNER” |
THE BEST RED SOX TEAM EVAH! ... September 18, 2018 ... Neil Walker hit a three-run homer, Zach Britton started a game-ending double play on New York's third try in the ninth inning and the Yankees kept the Red Sox from a bubbly celebration in the Bronx for at least another night with a 3-2 victory. Batting from the left side, Walker golfed a no-doubter in the seventh inning off Ryan Brasier, for the Yankees' third hit of the game and a 3-1 lead. Judge returned to New York's lineup for the first time since breaking his right wrist July 26, while AL MVP candidate Mookie Betts got a day off for Boston after injuring his left side Sunday. Judge hit a pop fly to the warning track but finished 0 for 4. He looked sharp in his at-bats, though, and gave the struggling Yankees an emotional lift amid a dreary stretch of the season - New York had dropped 10 of 17. The teams combined for eight hits, and the game got a sloppy finish. The Sox went ahead 1-0 with an unearned run in the third that followed a balk by Happ and a passed ball by Gary Sanchez. Sanchez was booed after grounding out weakly to the pitcher in the fifth inning. He went 0 for 2 with a walk to drop his batting average to .187. Boston reliever Brandon Workman (6-1) walked two in the seventh before Walker took Brasier deep. The Red Sox bullpen wasted six scoreless innings of two-hit ball from hard-throwing starter Nathan Eovaldi. A.J. Happ was nearly as good in muffling the Red Sox once again, allowing an unearned run over six innings. He entered as one of only four pitchers since 1923 to allow two or fewer earned runs over 10 straight starts against Boston - the others were Gaylord Perry, Randy Johnson and Bruce Howard. Happ has a 1.76 ERA in his past 11 starts against the Red Sox. Chad Green (8-2) and David Robertson then got the ball to Zach Britton. Britton had two on in the ninth after Brock Holt walked and Christian Vazquez reached when second baseman Gleyber Torres was unable to handle a wide feed from third on the first potential game-ending double play. Britton then scooped a short grounder by Sam Travis and threw it into center field with runners at first and third, allowing Holt to score. Ian Kinsler followed with an almost identical ball back to Britton, and the left-hander hit the target this time for the final two outs to finish his sixth save. The Sox are trying to clinch the AL East at Yankee Stadium for the second time in three years. Originally scheduled for 1:05 p.m., the start was pushed back earlier in the morning because heavy rain was in the forecast. |
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