Sox Take Game One

Round one to Boston–though it wasn’t easy. The Red Sox beat the Yankees 5-4 in Game One of the American League Division Series. The Sox got off to a good start in this one jumping out to a 5-0 advantage. J.D. Martinez had a huge 3-run homer in the first inning, followed by a Steve Pearce RBI single and Xander Bogaerts sac fly in the third inning. Chris Sale was dominant in 5.1 innings striking out eight.

Once Sale left the game, the Red Sox bullpen made things uneasy for Red Sox fans. Ryan Brasier allowed two inherited runners to score in the sixth inning, but it could have been more if it weren’t for a Brandon Workman strikeout of Gleyber Torres with the bases loaded. The Yankees would again load the bases in the seventh inning with no one out but would only get one run. The Sox had to go to Game 3 starter Rick Porcello in the eighth before handing it over to Craig Kimbrel.  Kimbrel did give up a solo home run to Aaron Judge in the 9th—but settled down to close it out and picked up the four-out save.

Sale was the winner in this one with J.A. Happ taking the loss for New York. Game 2 is set for Saturday at 8 p.m. David Price is scheduled for the Sox and he will be opposed by Masahiro Tanaka for the Yankees. The Series will then shift to New York on Monday with Luis Severino starting against Rick Porcello. It’s unclear if Porcello’s relief appearance will affect his status for Game 3. However, if Porcello isn’t ready to go, the Sox would most likely turn to Nathan Eovaldi who is scheduled to start Game Four.