Price succumbs to heat of rivalry again

There wasn’t much deception from David Price on Sunday night, not in his pitches or his postgame comments.

The Yankees shelled the Red Sox’s $217 million lefty for eight runs and five home runs over 3 ¹/3 innings as his nightmare rivalry experience continued in an 11-1 loss at Yankee Stadium. But Price, who has dished out his share of sarcasm with the media this season regard- less of how well he pitched, saved it for another night.

“I’m not going to let a bad start define my season,” he said.

Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres, Aaron Hicks (twice) and Kyle Higashioka combined for 1,969 feet of home runs off Price, ousting the beleaguered southpaw after he spotted the Yankees an 8-0 lead. When he was finally put out of his misery and lifted by manager Alex Cora after Hicks’ second homer, Price received a standing ovation from the jeering crowd at Yankee Stadium, perhaps the only place he’ll be so beloved any time soon.

In 275 career starts, Price had never given up more than three home runs in a game. The Yankees matched that number in their first 10 at-bats, then hit two more in their next 10.

Price has been the Yankees version of Sonny Gray when it comes to pitching under the pressure of this rivalry. While Gray upped his pinstriped ERA in four starts against the Red Sox to 9.35 after Saturday night’s debacle, Price’s Boston ERA in nine starts against the Yankees rose to 8.43 by the end of Sunday night.

“It’s time for me to go back to that drawing board and kind of reinvent myself against these guys,” Price said.

Before joining the Red Sox, Price enjoyed a 3.27 ERA across 15 starts in The Bronx. In five starts as a member of the rivalry at Yankee Stadium, Price has a 10.44 ERA.

Cora said he had no concerns about starting Price in the future against the Yankees, chalking it up as “one of those when he wasn’t at his best and they were at their best.”

Price had put together a strong string of starts since he was scratched against the Yankees in May, when he was diagnosed with carpel tunnel syndrome but denied it had anything to do with his playing the video game “Fortnite.”

In his only other start against the Yankees this season, Price had lasted just one inning while giving up four runs — the same way he started Sunday’s game.

“After about 10 outs, when I came out of the game after my fifth homer, I had moved on past this,” Price said. “I’m looking forward to Kansas City and getting back out there and helping us win.”