NEW YORK (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton became the first player to homer against Boston in six straight games, hitting a tiebreaking, two-run drive in the sixth inning that gave the New York Yankees a 4-2 win over the Red Sox on Saturday.
Anthony Rizzo homered for the second straight day to start New York's comeback from an early deficit, a tying two-run drive in the fourth.
Luis Severino made his first start for the Yankees since the 2019 AL Championship Series as the Yankees improved to 2-0 for the first time since 2018.
Stanton broke a 2-2 tie when he drove an 0-1 slider from Nick Pivetta (0-1) into the first row of the left field bleachers, a 437-foot drive over Boston’s bullpen. Stanton and Rizzo became the first players in Yankees history to homer together in both of a season's first two games.
Stanton's streak of six straight games with home runs against the Red Sox includes a drive in last year's AL wild card game, a 6-2 Yankees loss.
Thee players had homered in five games in a row against Boston: Mickey Mantle (1954), Ken Griffey Jr. (1996-97) and Jim Thome (1997).
After opening as a designated hitter Friday, Stanton played right field. Stanton hit nine of 35 homers last year in 16 games as an outfielder.
Alex Verdugo hit a two-run homer in a 31-pitch second inning off Severino, who returned late last season from Tommy John surgery. The 28-year-old All-Star right-hander, a 19-game winner in 2018. allowed five hits in three-plus innings, struck out five and walked none. He threw 65 pitches, including 35 four-seam fastballs that averaged 97.8 mph.
Six relievers followed Severino with an inning each of hitless relief. Lucas Luetge (1-0) pitched the sixth, and Aroldis Chapman worked around a throwing error by new shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa for his first save.
Boston dropped to 0-2 for the second straight season.
Pivetta allowed four runs and four hits in 5 2/3 innings.
WEB GEM
Rizzo homered after center fielder Kiké Hernández made a leaping catch at the center field fence to rob Aaron Judge of an extra-base hit. Judge's drive would have been a hgome run in 21 ballparks.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Red Sox: SS Xander Bogaerts went 0 for 3 with three strikeouts and a walk after exiting Friday’s game with a tight right hamstring. … RHP Matt Barnes (tight back) said he is feeling better. Barnes was unavailable Friday after tweaking his back during Thursday’s workout. … LHP Josh Taylor (strained back) will throw batting practice next week at the spring training complex in Fort Myers.
UP NEXT
LHP Jordan Montgomery (6-7, 3.83 ERA last year) starts Sunday night for the Yankees and RHP Tanner Houck (1-5, 3.52) for Boston.
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