Field Level Media
May 10, 2018
J.D. Martinez opened the top of the eighth inning with a tiebreaking homer as the Boston Red Sox recovered from squandering a four-run lead to record a 5-4 victory over the New York Yankees on Thursday night at Yankee Stadium.
Shortly after Heath Hembree and Joe Kelly (2-0) combined to flush a 4-0 lead, Martinez hit Dellin Betances' 97 mph fastball into the first row of the right field seats.
With his ninth homer, Martinez extended his hitting streak to 11 games.
The blast helped the Red Sox halt an eight-game winning streak by the Yankees. By salvaging the finale of a three-game series, Boston also ended an 11-game home winning streak by New York, the Yankees' longest since winning 12 straight at home in 1985.
New York took just its second loss in the past 19 games.
Martinez went deep off Betances (1-2) after the Yankees scored four times in the seventh.
New York came back on a bases-loaded walk by Brett Gardner, a bases-loaded RBI single by Aaron Judge, a run-scoring groundout by Didi Gregorius and a run-scoring wild pitch.
Kelly recovered after throwing the wild pitch and retired Giancarlo Stanton on a harmless grounder to first base. In the eighth, Kelly then struck out Neil Walker on a called strike three with two on to the inning.
After blowing a five-out save chance Wednesday, Craig Kimbrel pitched a perfect ninth inning Thursday and notched his 10th save in 12 opportunities.
Before the Red Sox coughed up the lead, Hanley Ramirez homered off CC Sabathia and matched a season high with three RBIs. Martinez also drove in a run with a grounder. Boston leadoff man Mookie Betts had three hits and scored twice.
Eduardo Rodriguez was in line for the win before the collapse. He allowed just one hit -- a single to Stanton in the fourth -- in five scoreless innings. He struck out eight and walked three in a 93-pitch outing.
Sabathia allowed four runs and a season-high nine hits in four-plus innings. He did not return after a 55-minute rain delay.
Betts opened the game with a double and scored on Ramirez's groundout in the first. He began the third with a single and scored on an infield single by Ramirez. The Red Sox took a 3-0 lead when Martinez lined into a forceout on a ball that deflected off second baseman Gleyber Torres' glove.
After Rodriguez worked out of a bases-loaded jam by striking out Tyler Austin and retiring Miguel Andujar in the fourth, Ramirez made it 4-0 in the fifth. The Boston designated hitter lifted a 2-2 fastball into the visiting bullpen beyond the left-center-field fence.
--Field Level Media