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HANLEY RAMIREZ |
ONE LAST RUN FOR A
RED SOX LEGEND -
FROM SEASON CHAMPS TO PLAYOFF CHUMPS
Hanley's HRs lead
the Sox to sweep the Yankees
September 18, 2016 ...
Hanley Ramirez did it again. He hit two home runs and drove in four
runs as the Red Sox completed a sweep of the Yankees with a 5-4
victory before a frenzied crowd of 37,306 at Fenway Park.
Ramirez was 9 of 16 in the series with four
home runs and nine RBIs. He has 28 home runs and 106 RBIs in what has turned
into an extraordinary comeback season. At this time a year ago, Ramirez was on
the disabled list with a shoulder injury after a poor first season in Boston. It
got a point where the team sent him home with a week left to play.
So much has changed. In 18 games since August
30th, Ramirez has hit .400 with 11 home runs and 28 RBIs. The Red Sox have won
12 of those games and surged into first place.
After Red Sox starter Drew Pomeranz gave up
four runs, the Red Sox bullpen blanked the Yankees for 5 1/3 innings. Heath
Hembree, Junichi Tazawa, Brad Ziegler, Robby Scott, Joe Kelly. and Koji Uehara
combined to give up four hits. Scott (1-0) was the winner with Uehara getting
his seventh save. Sox relievers have a 0.94 ERA this month.
Yankees starter CC Sabathia took a 4-0 lead into the fifth
inning. A mistake on a simple play let the Sox back into the game. Bryan Holaday
started the inning with a double off the top of the wall in center. A fan
reached down and tried to grab the ball and interference as called. Xander
Bogaerts drew a walk with one out. Mookie Betts followed with a soft line drive
to the left of the mound that Sabathia stabbed. Bogaerts was well off first base
and sure to be doubled off to end the inning. But Sabathia’s throw was wild and
the runners advanced to second and third. That got Ramirez to the plate. He
unloaded on a slider, driving the ball off the base of the light tower in left
field for his 27th home run.
Sabathia was at 101 pitches but stayed in for
the sixth inning. Singles by Travis Shaw, Aaron Hill, and Jackie Bradley Jr.
tied the game. The Sox took the lead in the seventh inning when Ramirez homered
to left field again, this time off Tyler Clippard. He hammered a 3-and-2
changeup over everything.
The Sox fell into that 4-0 hole because of a worrisome
outing from Pomeranz. He lasted only 3 2/3 innings and allowed four runs on
seven hits and two walks. He is at 164 1/3 innings
after 29 starts with the Padres and Red Sox this season and appears worn down.
He has started six games at Fenway and allowed 20 runs over 26 2/3 innings. He
has given up eight home runs at home.
It was the first four-game sweep of the Yankees for the Sox
since June 4-7, 1990. The Yankees lost leads of 5-1 (Thursday), 5-2 (Saturday),
and 4-0 (Sunday) in the series. The Yankees have lost five straight and seven of
eight. They are eight games behind in the division and four games behind in the
wild-card race.
With 13 games to play, the Sox have a three-game lead on
the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East. The 85-64 Sox have won nine
of their last 12 games.
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