Yanks get even with Sox
Best Kelly for tie atop AL East
NEW YORK — For the first time since March 31, the Red Sox are not alone in first place of the AL East.
And what a wild season this is shaping up to be.
The New York Yankees got their revenge on Joe Kelly last night, when Aaron Judge hit an RBIsingle off the right-hander to break a tie in the seventh inning and propel the Bronx Bombers to a 3-2 victory.
The two teams are now sporting a pair of 25-10 records through the first 35 games. They’re the best two records in the majors.
After starting 17-2, the Red Sox have gone 8-8.
After starting 9-9, the Yankees have gone 16-1.
The regulars at “Cheers” didn’t greet their nemesis, Gary from Gary’s Old Towne Tavern, with as much venom that Yankee Stadium spewed at Kelly when he entered through the bullpen doors onto the grass in left-center field.
Surely he was expecting it. The last time Kelly engaged in sport with the Yanks, it was a boxing match between he and first baseman Tyler Austin. Kelly sent a 98-mph fastball into Austin’s back and Austin responded by tackling Kelly on the pitcher’s mound. Punches were thrown and both players were suspended.
With the booing finally subdued, Kelly started Judge with an 89-mph breaking ball that was fouled off. He came back with 97 mph high and outside but Judge did not offer. The third pitch was another low breaking ball and Judge made it look easy with a line-drive single to left that scored the go-ahead run from third.
Gleyber Torres was thrown out at home by Andrew Benintendi in left for the second out, then Kelly induced a weak grounder from Didi Gregorius to end the inning, but the Yanks got what they needed.
They had attacked first against starter Drew Pomeranz in the second inning when Giancarlo Stanton hit his eighth homer of the year on a line-drive shot to left field.
A bloody fingernail threatened Pomeranz’ evening two batters later, but after a long visit from the training staff he stayed in the game and went on to throw six innings of tworun ball. The only other run he allowed was a second homer by Stanton, who torched a high fastball over the right-field wall in the fourth.
The Sox got one back in the fifth, and then Mookie Betts provided some magic in the seventh to momentarily tie the game. With a runner on second, Betts fell behind, 0-2, against David Robertson, but climbed back to 2-2 and then hit a triple to the left-field wall. He came into third pumping his fists and beckoning toward the Red Sox dugout, about as animated as he’s been all season.
But Heath Hembree relieved Pomeranz and put Kelly in that mess with an ugly bottom of the seventh in which he balked runners to second and third before walking Gardner to load the bases.
Hembree took the loss, his first of the year.