Yankees End First Half With Blowout Win Over Red Sox
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NEW YORK — The best team in baseball made sure to end the first half on a high note.
Extending their massive cushion in the American League East, the Yankees trounced the rival Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on Sunday in their final game before the All-Star break, cruising to a 13-2 win.
It's the second laugher in a row for the Yankees, coming on the heels of Saturday night's 14-1 blowout win.
It didn't take long for the Yankees to jump in front. New York scored three runs in the first inning off starter Chris Sale—outfielder Aaron Hicks ripped a line drive off the left-hander's hand, fracturing his pinky finger with two outs in the frame, forcing him to exit the game.
From there, New York beat up on Boston's relievers the rest of the way. In the fourth, the Yankees scored eight runs on seven hits. Outfielder Tim Locastro—who was starting a game for the first time since April 29—led off the inning with a single before launching a two-run homer later in the frame.
Locastro ended up with three hits on Sunday, stealing two bases. Factoring in his two steals, New York is up to 63 stolen bases on the year, matching their total from the entirety of last season.
DJ LeMahieu added three hits of his own while Aaron Judge had two knocks, including an RBI single. Matt Carpenter continued to produce as well, adding three more RBI to his special totals in pinstripes. The veteran slugger has 10 RBI in his last two games.
Even Joey Gallo got in on the slugfest, belting a towering home run into the second deck after entering the game on defense. His blast snapped a 4-for-55 stretch, perhaps some positive momentum before a few days away from the ballpark.
On the mound, Yankees ace Gerrit Cole was magnificent. He struck out 12 Red Sox batters over seven sparkling frames, giving up two runs on a Jeter Downs home run in the third, Downs' first MLB homer.
The win gives New York a 64-28 record heading to the All-Star Game, the fifth-best 92-game start in franchise history (excluding ties). It also marks just the sixth time the Yankees have won at least 64 of their first 92 decisions.
MORE:
- Yankees' Aaron Hicks Hits Red Sox Ace Chris Sale With Comebacker
- Yankees' Promising Reliever to Begin Rehab Assignment
- Matt Carpenter Adds Another Multi-Homer Game, Curtain Call to Magical Ride With Yankees
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