A second three-game sweep by the Yankees this month brings the Red Sox back to first place in the AL East.
Boston coach Alex Cora called his team’s weekend against the Americans “probably the best series we’ve played all season” with three home runs against Gerrit Cole in a 9-2 win on Sunday at Fenway.
What was worse was Cora’s flattering – almost condescending – tone when asked about the difference between that swing of staggering Americans and the one the Red Sox executed in the Bronx in early June.
“I think this is a good baseball team. You can see that the quality of the at-bats is much better now than it was a few weeks ago. They get there, ”Cora said of Zoom after the Sox improved to 47-31 and expanded their lead over their fourth-place rivals to 6½ games. “If Gary [Sanchez] swing the bat the way it is, dj [LeMahieu] comes to the base, they become very dangerous.
“Just like today, we never felt comfortable because you know that quality will be on the bats. … All in all, of course, it’s nice for us. But we take six [wins] for now.”
The Red Sox, who finished 24-36 and last in the 2020 season shortened by the pandemic, continue to hit the ball with a powerful line-up with thugs Rafael Devers, JD Martinez and Xander Bogaerts.
After Kiké Hernandez strapped Cole’s first pitch of the game for a lead-off homer, Devers hit a 101 mph ball from the Yankees ace into the right-field grandstand for a three-run shot and a 4-0 lead an inning.
“Obviously as hard a jug as [Cole] is, he’s a really good pitcher and someone who can’t be overlooked. But he has his moments, just like all of us, ups and downs, and today we got him, ”said Devers, who is second in MLB with 64 RBIs, via an interpreter. “We got on this series and we knew we had to do our business, especially at home.
“We were out there, we were aggressive, we tried to play a good defense and we did what we had to do on the grassroots. Overall, it was a really great series for the entire team. “
And another clunker for the Americans, who dropped to 11-12 in June. Martinez also homered against Cole when the Sox took a 6-0 lead in the third.
Aaron Judge has belted a sixth homer for the Americans’ only two runs against Boston starter Eduardo Rodriguez, who missed the entire 2020 season after a positive COVID-19 test and a resulting case of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart).
“It’s fun when we win games no matter who we play it against,” said Rodriguez. “If we want to get into the playoffs and the World Series, we know it’s not just about winning three games against the Yankees.
“It’s ‘winning against every team in the league.’ ”
The Yanks got the tieing run on the plate after loading the bases on the seventh, but former Yankees farmer Garrett Whitlock knocked out LeMahieu and pulled Judge back with a pop-up to escape the traffic jam. Whitlock, who was selected by Boston from the minor league system of the Yanks in the rule 5 draft of the offseason, carries a 1.42 ERA this season through 22 appearances, including 5½-pointless innings against his former organization .
“Every time we win against everyone it’s great, but given the story between the Red Sox and the Yankees, of course, you love to beat the Yankees every chance you get,” said Whitlock. “Hopefully, to take six of these so far this year, we’ll take a lot more than just six.”