Caleb Durbin hit a two-run home run and Connelly Early struck out nine in six innings as the Boston Red Sox opened a four-game series against the visiting New York Yankees with a 6-3 victory on Thursday night.
Durbin’s home run, his sixth of the season, came against New York starter Cam Schlittler and broke a 2-2 tie in the fifth inning. The Red Sox scored four times in the inning.
Early (7-5) gave up two runs on five hits and walked one.
The Yankees, who committed four errors in the loss, received a solo home run from Jose Caballero. New York had the bases loaded with two outs in the ninth, but Aroldis Chapman retired Ben Rice on a grounder back to the mound to pick up his 15th save.
Schlittler (8-4) recorded nine strikeouts and gave up five hits and two walks in five innings. All six Boston runs were unearned due to the Yankees’ errors, including four runs allowed by Schlittler.
New York struck first when Paul Goldschmidt led off the game with a double and scored on a Jasson Dominguez single.
Caballero’s eighth home run of the season extended New York’s lead to 2-0 in the fourth.
Boston’s four-run fifth began when Masataka Yoshida scored on a fielder’s choice to cut the Yankees’ lead to 2-1. Everyone was safe thanks to third baseman Amed Rosario’s fielding error.
It was 2-2 after Ceddanne Rafaela scored on Jarren Duran’s sacrifice fly to left field, and Durbin’s home run put Boston up 4-2.
The Yankees pulled within a run in the seventh. Jazz Chisholm Jr. walked, took second on an Austin Wells single, stole third and scored on Goldschmidt’s grounder to third.
Boston added to its lead in the eighth. Durbin was forced in when Ryan Yarbrough hit Nate Eaton with the bases loaded to make it 5-3, and it was 6-3 after pinch runner Andruw Monasterio scored when Rafaela grounded into a fielder’s choice.
