NEW YORK _ The Yankees and Red Sox went to both extremes for a time on Friday night.
The rivals showed a glimpse of a slugfest in the first inning, followed by eight innings of a pitcher's duel. It was Gleyber Torres and his grand slam that proved to be the deciding blow as the Yankees held off the Red Sox, 4-2, at Yankee Stadium.
Torres knocked the first pitch he saw from 13-game winner Eduardo Rodriguez into the seats in left field for a grand slam. The Yankees loaded the bases to begin the home first as DJ LeMahieu led off with a single, followed by walks to Aaron Judge and Edwin Encarnacion.
Yankees starter James Paxton had not been good in the first inning all year long, entering Friday night's game with an earned run average of 11 in the first inning. That number jumped even higher after a two-run home run by J.D. Martinez, giving the Red Sox a quick 2-0 lead.
Paxton would settle in after the first, allowing just one hit and two walks across the next five innings to earn the win, his sixth of the season. Paxton threw 100 pitches and struck out six, including two before surrendering the first inning home run, and retired eight of the final nine batters he faced.
The normally powerful Yankees offense would muster only three more hits in the rest of the game after taking the lead in the first inning. Gio Urshela singled following the Torres grand slam. Judge led off the third inning with a single for the only other Yankees hit until the seventh inning. In the seventh, LeMahieu struck a two-out double over the head of Mookie Betts, which would take Rodriguez out of the game and force the Red Sox to turn to their bullpen.
The Yankees bullpen, strong all season long and among the best in baseball since the All Star break, allowed only one hit in three innings pitched. Tommy Kahnle allowed a two out single to Christian Vasquez, but stranded the runner. Zack Britton induced three ground balls to get through the eighth inning. Closer Aroldis Chapman closed the door on the Red Sox for his 28th save of the season.
Boston, in need of a good performance while chasing a playoff spot, have now lost five games in a row, all to division opponents, for the first time since an eight-game losing streak in July 2015. The Yankees started that streak with a victory on Sunday night at Fenway Park, followed by a three-game sweep from the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees will look to continue that streak tomorrow with a doubleheader against the Red Sox.
