NEW YORK (AP) — Ceddanne Rafaela recovered from misjudging a fly ball to center field in the fourth inning to get a runner at the plate a day after making two outs on the bases, and he hit an RBI single in a four-run ninth as the Boston Red Sox beat the New York Yankees 6-0 in the opener of a day-night doubleheader on Saturday.
Rookie Jake Bennett (9-6) stymied the Yankees again, allowing three hits in six innings. Bennett struck out seven, walked none and has permitted one run and six hits in 12 1/3 innings in two career starts against New York.
Wilyer Abreu homered off Carlos Rodón (4-3) in the first and the Red Sox moved back to within two games of the Yankees for the AL’s top wild-card and home field advantage in the postseason.
Adley Rutschman had his first three-hit game with the Red Sox and scored on a passed ball by Ali Sanchez when Rodón was slow to cover the plate in the fifth. Andruw Monasterio padded the lead with a two-run single in the ninth and scored on Nick Sogard’s RBI double.
After Amed Rosario reached on a throwing error by third baseman Caleb Durbin in the fourth and advanced on a passed ball by Rutschman, Heliot Ramos lifted a fly ball to center.
Rafaela ran back and got turned around at the edge of the warning track but recovered to retrieve the ball in front of the fence and made a strong throw to Sogard at second. Rosario initially had to hold near second to see if the ball was caught and had just rounded third when Sogard got the ball and the strong throw easily allowed Rutschman to complete the tag.
Rafaela’s recovery occurred after he was doubled off first base in the fifth inning and thrown out by Bellinger’s 99.7 mph throw from left field in the seventh of Friday’s 1-0 loss.
In his third start since returning from left elbow inflammation, Rodón allowed two runs and three hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Up next
Left-hander Alec Gamboa (1-0) is scheduled to start for the Red Sox in the second game of the doubleheader against Yankees lefty Max Fried (4-4).
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