NEW YORK — Gerrit Cole struck out 11 and the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 3-1 in a game called after six innings because of heavy rain Saturday night.
Gary Sánchez and Gleyber Torres hit back-to-back homers in the sixth off Hirokazu Sawamura (4-1) as the Yankees beat the rival Red Sox for the first time in eight meetings this year and for the first time in nine tries since Sept. 19.
Cole (10-4) followed up last Saturday’s 129-pitch shutout in Houston by allowing one run and five hits in a six-inning complete game. It was his seventh double-digit strikeout game this season.
The game began 52 minutes late due to a weather delay even though it wasn’t raining and the tarp was not placed on the field.
Play also was halted before the Yankees took a 3-1 lead when a fan threw a ball near Boston left fielder Alex Verdugo.
Verdugo began yelling at fans and was restrained by first base coach Tom Goodwin. Red Sox manager Alex Cora briefly pulled his players off the field and the game resumed after a discussion with umpires near Boston’s dugout.
There also were four delays for replay reviews and another stoppage when plate umpire Jeff Nelson took a 96 mph fastball from Cole off his mask in the sixth. Nelson was attended to by a Yankees trainer and stayed in the game after a few minutes.
As Nelson was getting checked, the rain significantly intensified and Cole paced the mound.
The game was delayed by rain for a second time at 10:48 p.m. moments after Cole took the mound for the seventh and called following a 54-minute delay.
Sánchez snapped a 1-all tie with his 16th homer, and the call was upheld via replay review after a fan in the right field seats appeared to reach over the wall. Torres made it 3-1 with his first homer since June 5.
DJ LeMahieu hit an RBI single for the Yankees, who were blanked in the first 13 innings of the series.
The rain began as Rougned Odor batted in the first inning and was hit by a pitch when Nathan Eovaldi appeared to struggle gripping the ball.
Eovaldi allowed one run and two hits in five innings. He struck out seven and walked one.
Eovaldi lost his no-hit bid on his 80th pitch when Greg Allen roped an elevated 98 mph fastball into the right-center gap for a double in the fifth. Allen scored when LeMahieu ripped a single to left, but Eovaldi escaped by retiring Giancarlo Stanton for a third time.
Christian Arroyo hit an RBI single in the second for the Red Sox.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Red Sox: LHP Chris Sale threw a bullpen two days after pitching in a game for the first time since Tommy John surgery on March 30, 2020. Sale threw 39 pitches in three scoreless innings for the FCL Red Sox and will make his next rehab start Tuesday for Double-A Portland. … SS Xander Bogaerts (sore left wrist) was held out of the lineup but is expected to play Sunday night.
Yankees: RHP Luis Severino was scheduled to face hitters but it was postponed due to rain. Severino will face hitters Sunday and could start a rehab assignment shortly. He has not pitched in the majors since 2019 after having Tommy John surgery, and his return was slowed because of a groin injured sustained June 12 in a rehab appearance. … RHP Corey Kluber (right shoulder strain), who has been throwing from 120 feet, could throw a bullpen by the end of next week. … OF Clint Frazier (vertigo) will see an eye specialist Monday. … LF Tim Locastro exited after the first inning and an MRI showed a torn ACL. He injured his knee crashing into the wall in foul territory to catch a flyball by Verdugo.
UP NEXT
LHP Martín Pérez (7-5, 4.04 ERA) starts for Boston against RHP Jameson Taillon (4-4, 4.90) in the series finale Sunday night.
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