New York Yankees vs Boston Red Sox

The game turned in the bottom of the fourth, when the Yankees appeared poised to tie it. Amed Rosario doubled with one out and Heliot Ramos followed with a single. Left fielder Wilyer Abreu played the ball cleanly and fired to cutoff man Nick Sogard, who relayed to catcher Willson Contreras in time to nail Rosario at the plate. The relay killed the rally cold, and Bennett struck out Cody Bellinger swinging to end the threat.

Yankees batters went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position for the game.

Jake Bennett (BOS): Won his second straight start with 6.0 scoreless IP, 7 K, 0 BB. Generated 13 swinging strikes on 83 pitches (59 strikes). His four-seamer averaged 93.4 mph and he induced nine ground-ball outs.

Wilyer Abreu (BOS): 2-for-4, solo home run (23), threw out Rosario at the plate from left field in the pivotal fourth inning.

Andruw Monasterio (BOS): 2-for-4, two-run single in the ninth, scored on Sogard's double. Made a barehanded play at third base in the sixth to rob Paul Goldschmidt of a single.

Carlos Rodon (NYY): Took the loss despite a solid outing (4.2 IP, 2 ER, 5 K, 1 BB). Threw 59 of 88 pitches for strikes but was let down by a passed ball and a lack of run support.

Boston outhit New York 9-4 and drew no walks while committing two errors to the Yankees' one. The Red Sox went 3-for-9 with runners in scoring position; the Yankees went 0-for-8. Boston's 2.80 xFIP from Bennett against a Yankees lineup that entered averaging 4.46 runs per game tells the story: New York simply could not square him up. The four-run ninth inflated the final margin, but Bennett had already thrown the knockout punch through six.

The win lifts Boston to 74-61, one game behind the Yankees (76-59) in the AL East standings, with two more games remaining in this four-game series — including Game 2 of the doubleheader later Saturday evening. The Red Sox have won two of their last three; the Yankees have dropped two of their last four and have scored one run or fewer in three of those games. New York next hosts the Red Sox again in Game 2 on Saturday night. Boston travels to face the New York Mets on Monday.

A vintage Red Sox–Yankees pitchers' duel that Boston won with a solo homer, a passed ball and a ninth-inning exclamation point. Bennett outduelled Rodon, and the Yankees' inability to hit with runners in scoring position cost them any chance. The four-run ninth made the scoreline look more one-sided than the game felt, but the result was decisive.