NEW YORK — Xander Bogaerts’ slow heartbeat continued its steady pace on Sunday evening.
Bogaerts roped a two-out, two-run single in the 10th inning, the Red Sox bouncing back from squandering a one-run lead in the ninth to win, 6-5, and complete a three-game sweep at Yankee Stadium.
“It was nice. It was really nice,” Bogaerts said. “We know we haven’t had a lot of success these last couple of years, but this team is different. We have a lot of winning players.”
New York tied the game against Matt Barnes, working for the third straight day for the first time this season, behind a run-scoring double by Gleyber Torres.
After the Sox scored two on a walk, a sacrifice, a groundout, and Bogaerts’ single, Phillips Valdez worked around hitting Clint Frazier with his first pitch. He got a Miguel Andujar double play and, after a throwing error scored an unearned run, a DJ LeMahieu groundout for his first save of the year.
Having lost 15 of the 16 games they played there since the start of the 2019 season, including 11 in a row, the Red Sox were due better times in the Bronx. Few have been better than this.
“The way we started this road trip, we were 0-3,” Cora said. “Going home now 4-3, it was a good effort by everybody. Today was one of those games that we’re used to. A back-and-forth between both teams.”
The three straight wins at Yankee Stadium is Boston’s first such streak since 2016, and their first series sweep there of at least three games since June 7-9, 2011. The Red Sox (36-23) pulled within a game of AL East-leading Tampa, while New York (31-29) remained in fourth place, a half-game behind Toronto.
The Yankees are scuffling. The separation between them and the Red Sox has much to do with a roster construction that leans heavily into home runs, but is ranked just 13th in the league with 69. The Red Sox have 74, but remain one of baseball’s best offenses. They can beat you in more ways than one.
Alex Verdugo belted a homer in the first inning, and Marwin Gonzalez a two-run homer in the seventh to tie the game, 3-3. But after Christian Arroyo reached second on a shallow pop up dropped by DJ LeMahieu to begin the eighth, you saw the other side of the Sox’ offense.
Verdugo moved him over with a groundout to second. Bogaerts’s sac fly then tied it again.
“We’re capable of playing that type of baseball,” Cora said. “When we do that, we become a very dangerous team.”
The Red Sox were relentless in the batter’s box, too, scoring 11 of their 18 runs in the series with two outs.
“That’s what we preach,” Kiké Hernández said on Saturday. “Battling from the first pitch of the at-bat to the last pitch of the at-bat. It doesn’t matter how what the situation it is, we feel confident that we have the the guys to get the job done.”
Garrett Richards hasn’t had much success against the Yankees. In eight appearances (seven starts) vs. New York, he has a 7.92 ERA, including a 7.07 in six starts at Yankee Stadium. Yet as Richards has done much of the season, he kept his team in the ballgame, allowing only three runs in five innings despite eight Yankee hits and two walks.
The Red Sox turn the page to the Marlins for a makeup game Monday at Fenway, then invite the Astros for a three-game series. This series sweep, however, was a big one.
“This series, man, we played really good baseball,” Bogaerts said. “Tonight was really fun. Having fans back in the stadium just makes it so much better and winning makes it better.”
Julian McWilliams can be reached at julian.mcwilliams@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @byJulianMack.
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June 07, 2021 at 11:52AM
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Xander Bogaerts comes through (twice) as Red Sox complete sweep at Yankee Stadium for first time since 2011 - The Boston Globe
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