September 28, 2015, Queens, NY “I didn’t throw well. I gave up four runs. We lost the game.” These were the sentiments of a very frustrated Ivan Nova who is now 0-3, with a 5.03 ERA vs. the Red Sox this season in three starts. Nova gave up a pair of two-run homers. In both instances, the 6’4″ Palenque, Dominican Republic native had two outs. The Yankees gave him little support scoring only one run in a 5-1 loss against their most noted rival, the Boston Red Sox. Gone are the days when a Yankees-Red Sox game in late September would be must-see TV. That has more to do with the Red Sox no longer being a force in baseball, at least not this year.
The Yankees got on the board first via a sacrifice fly by Alex Rodriguez in the first inning and held a 1-0 lead going into the the sixth inning. Travis Shaw launched a two-run homer to give the Red Sox a 2-1 lead. In the seventh inning, Nova was touched again; this time by Jackie Bradley Jr., to increase the lead to 4-1. Deven Marrero hit a solo shot in the ninth to give the Red Sox a four-run lead.
Red Sox rookie Eduardo Rodriguez pitched the final game of his rookie season and upped his record to a respectable 10-6. Nova dropped to 6-10 losing his last three starts. The Yankees could have clinched a wild card spot if they won and the Angels, Twins, and Rangers lost. A win would have also given the Yankees 10,000 regular season victories as a franchise, the most of any team in MLB history.
The Yankees are now 86-70, and the Red Sox are 76-80. The Red Sox will probably play with playoff-like intensity because they have a chance of finishing with a .500 record. This would be quite a tremendous accomplishment considering they were several games under .500 in the summer months.
The Yankees will throw Michael Pineda (12-8) tomorrow evening against Rick Porcello (8-14). It is important the Yankees clinch as early as possible so they can set their pitching rotation and rest some of their starters as they ready for the post season.
Professor Clifford Benton can be reached at @cliffordbenton