Red Sox settle for doubleheader split with Yankees
Yankees split doubleheader with Red Sox, even season series and climb to top wild‑card spot
In a nightcap that delivered the Yankees a 9‑2 win over Boston, the two teams split a doubleheader in New York on Saturday, August 31. The first game of the day was a 6‑0 victory for the Red Sox, while the Yankees’ win in the evening evening the season series and positioned New York three games ahead of Boston for the American‑League wild‑card race.
The second game was highlighted by a clutch two‑run single by first‑baseman Ben Rice in the fifth‑inning of the Yankees’ five‑run eighth. Rice finished the game with three RBIs, helping the Yankees build a 7‑3 lead that proved insurmountable. He also recorded two hits in the game, bringing his RBI total to four.
The Yankees’ rookie shortstop George Lombard Jr. was taken out after the third inning with a right‑knee discomfort that had developed on a check swing in the second. Lombard had appeared in the second‑inning at-bat before being pulled.
Boston’s first‑innings surge came from Wilyer Abreu, who hit a solo home‑run off Red Sox rookie Carlos Rodón. In the same inning, Adley Rutschman collected his first three‑hit game for Boston, scoring on a passed‑ball by Ali Sanchez when Rodón was slow to cover the plate. In the ninth, Andruw Monasterio added a two‑run single and scored on an RBI double by Nick Sogard.
Boston’s dominant pitcher in the opener, rookie Jake Bennett, was on the mound for the Red Sox and allowed only three hits over six innings. He struck out seven and walked none, while his season record was 9‑6. Bennett had also faced the Yankees earlier this season, giving up just one run over 12 ⅓ innings in two starts.
In Boston’s third start since returning from left‑elbow inflammation, Carlos Rodón allowed two runs and three hits in 4 ⅔ innings, giving the Yankees a 6‑0 lead in the first game. The Red Sox’s offense was fueled by a four‑run ninth, with Ceddanne Rafaela driving in a run on an RBI single. That inning also saw Amed Rosario advance on a throwing error by third‑baseman Caleb Durbin, a passed‑ball by Rutschman, and a strong throw by Rafaela to second that allowed Rutschman to tag Rosario out at home.
