The Red Sox beat the Yankees, 5-4, Sunday in Fenway Park. That score doesn’t do justice to everything that happened, though. The story was initially about a no-hitter. You see, the 1990, 1991, 2012, 2015 and 2021 seasons each have produced seven of those. The 2021 season has been tied for the record for over a month now and lately it’s been teasing us. Saturday night, Angels starter Patrick Sandoval gave up his first hit with one out in the ninth while the Astros took a combined no-hit effort into the eighth.
Sunday, Yankees starter Domingo Germán got through seven innings without allowing a hit. He was dominant, striking out 10, but Alex Verdugo doubled to lead off the eighth and wrecked the shot at history. Germán was looking to become the second Yankees pitcher with a no-hitter this season (Corey Kluber no-hit the Rangers in May) after they previously hadn’t had one since 1999.
But things changed very quickly at Fenway Park. The Red Sox, trailing 4-0 entering the bottom of the eighth, went nuts after Verdugo’s double broke up the no-hitter and a hit parade ensued before two productive outs.
Following Verdugo, reliever Jonathan Loaisiga replaced Germán and gave up a double to Hunter Renfroe and a singles to Christian Vazquez and Franchy Cordero. Enrique Hernandez then doubled and the Yankees summoned Zack Britton. Britton got two outs, but they were an RBI groundout and sac fly. Just like that, it was 5-4 Red Sox headed to the ninth inning.
Yet another late-inning meltdown for the Yankees.
“These guys have handled and dealt with adversity,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters after the game. “We’ve dealt with it in this series and bounced back. I know we’ll do it again.”
The problem is that it keeps happening, though. That’s now 19 bullpen losses and 14 blown saves.
The Yankees fell to 51-47 and nine games back of Boston. The Red Sox moved to 61-39, and are sitting in first place in the AL East, taking three of four in the series including two late-inning comebacks.
