BOSTON –
Aaron Judge hit a grand slam, DJ LeMahieu broke the tie with a double in the eighth inning and the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 8-5 on Thursday to split the wins in a doubleheader.
Venezuelan Oswald Peraza hit the first home run of his career, a two-run blast in the ninth inning for the Yankees (74-73), who won three of four games in Boston to reach their last-place rivals split. the American League East Division.
The Red Sox previously fired Chaim Bloom, their director of baseball operations, who remained with the club for nearly four seasons. Soon after, Trevor Story hit a three-run home run, Tanner Houck pitched six effective innings, and Boston won 5-0 in the first game of the doubleheader.
Bloom was fired after almost four seasons. He came from the Tampa Bay Rays to strengthen Boston’s minor league system and provide financial stability to one of the highest payroll clubs in the major leagues.
Boston made the playoffs once during Bloom’s tenure and enters the final weeks of the season with a mission to avoid finishing last in the division again.
“Obviously this is a decision by the owners. We have worked together all these years. “It’s never easy to hear that,” Puerto Rican coach Alex Cora said after the first game.
In the night game, Judge found a 2-0 pitch from Brennan Bernadino and sent the ball over the centerfield wall with the bases loaded in the second inning to make it 5-2.
It was his 32nd home run of the season and the sixth grand slam of his career.
Dominican Rafael Devers hit his 31st home run in the third inning to bring the Red Sox closer to 5-3. A ground ball from Triston Casas evened the score at 5-5.
LeMahieu scored a brace against Venezuelan Mauricio Llovera (1:2).
Dominican Wandy Peralta (4-2) pitched the seventh inning for New York. Tommy Kahnle threw one pitch in the final two innings to earn his second save.
In the first game, Houck (5-9) won by allowing four hits and scoring seven.
Rookie Ceddanne Rafaela added a solo home run and Wilyer Abreu hit an RBI single in the first inning for Boston, which has won nine of 12 meetings with its perennial nemesis throughout the season.
After rallying for a win on Tuesday to tie for last place with Boston, the Yankees were eliminated for the ninth time this season.
Venezuelan Gleyber Torres hit two doubles for the Yankees.
In the Yankees’ first game, the Venezuelans beat Torres 4-2; Oswald Peraza 4-2; Everson Pereira 4-0; and Oswaldo Cabrera 2-1.
One run was scored for the Red Sox, Dominican Rafael Devers 3-1; and Abreu 3-for-4, one goal and one RBI. Mexican Luis Urías 4:1.
In the Yankees’ second game, Venezuelan Torres went 1 for 5. Dominican Florial is 4-1 with two runs scored. The Venezuelans Peraza 2-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBIs, Cabrera 1-for-4 with one run scored.
For the Red Sox, Dominican Devers 3-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI, Pablo Reyes 4-1. The Mexicans Alex Verdugo 5-0 with one goal, Urías 4-1 with one goal. Venezuelan Abreu took the lead 2-1 with an RBI.
