Four Takeaways from Last Night's Yankees-Red Sox Game

The New York Yankees had a big comeback against the Red Sox last night. Here are four major takeaways.

The New York Yankees held off a late surge from the Boston Red Sox in the ninth inning to win the first of a crucial three-game set, 5-4, Friday night at Yankee Stadium. The offense will grab the majority of the headlines following a five-run outburst in the eighth inning after being held to two

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hits by Eduardo Rodriguez prior to then, but it took plenty more than a late-inning power surge to complete this comeback victory that moved the team to within 3.5 games of first place in the AL East.

Here are four takeaways last night’s game:

It’s great to have Aaron Hicks back in the lineup

Hicks appears to have picked up right where he left off before his oblique injury, crushing a two-run home run in the eighth inning that brought the Yankees to within one run of the Red Sox and began their late rally. Even more impressive was Hicks’ play in the field, throwing out Eduardo Nunez at third base after catching a sac fly from Andrew Benintendi in the ninth inning as well as holding Mookie Betts (who Eduardo Nunez should’ve used as an example) to a single on what should have been a frozen rope double to left field in the third inning.

Adam Warren is one of the top relievers in baseball

Jaime Garcia made it through two outs into the sixth inning before Joe Girardi brought in Adam Warren, who completely shut down a loaded Boston lineup. Warren, who picked up his third win of the season, gave up one hit and struck out two batters in 2.1 innings of work and kept the Yankees within striking distance the duration of his appearance. He now has 46 strikeouts in 50 innings with a 1.80 ERA, and is a huge reason why the Yankees have the third-best ERA in the American League (3.78).

CLEVELAND, OH – AUGUST 04: Jaime Garcia /

Jaime Garcia pitched well

Aside from two pitches that were hammered into the seats by Hanley Ramirez in the first inning and Andrew Benintendi in the fifth inning, Garcia did a nice job of pitching out of a few jams and keeping the game close. The two home runs combined with a lack of run support made his outing seem a lot worse than it actually was. Garcia’s six strikeouts show that, aside from a few big mistakes, he was able to keep the Red Sox guessing for 5.2 innings thanks to mixing up his pitches and velocities from 72 mph all the way up to the low 90s.

Aroldis Chapman simply doesn’t have it

This time last season, an appearance from Aroldis Chapman meant that a win was all but guaranteed for the Chicago Cubs, and it’s safe to say that Chapman may have left that ability in the Windy City. His lack of what has been career-long dominance this season is noticeable, and his inaccuracy warrants questions on whether or not the $85 million man

Four Takeaways from Last Night’s Yankees-Red Sox Game

By Alexander Evans | Aug 12, 2017