Paxton powers Yankees
NEW YORK — James Paxton struck out 12 in his first stab at baseball’s biggest rivalry, Red Sox ace Chris Sale found his fastball but not better results, and the Yankees three-hit the World Series champions 8-0 on Tuesday night in the first game this season between the struggling AL East foes.
Paxton (2-2) pitched two-hit ball for eight innings, walking one and going to just two three-ball counts in a game that took only 2 hours, 23 minutes.
Mike Tauchman hit his first major league homer and drove in four runs, and Clint Frazier and Gleyber Torres also went deep for the Yankees, who had dropped five of six and are 7-9 a year after winning 100 games.
Sale (0-4) reached 97.5 mph — a positive sign after his velocity sagged this spring — but still got hit around, allowing four runs and seven hits over five innings. He struck out six and walked one while the the Red Sox dropped to 6-12.
The longtime rivals hadn’t played with both teams below .500 this deep into a season since 1992.
Acquired from the Mariners in an offseason trade, Paxton adjusted well after Yankees special adviser Carlos Beltran informed the left-hander he was tipping pitches during a lousy start last week in Houston. Yankees manager Aaron Boone also said before the game he thought Paxton’s stuff had dulled a bit since spring training.
It all clicked Tuesday. The big left-hander reached 99 mph, striking out four of his first six batters and six straight later. Paxton saluted the cheering crowd after retiring AL MVP Mookie Betts to end his night.