It wasn't pretty, but CC Sabathia pitched six strong innings to put the Yankees in position to get a much-needed win over the Red Sox Tuesday night in the opener of their three-game set. He threw 129 pitches, allowed 10 hits and two walks, striking out 10 and allowing just two runs.
Red Sox Vs. Yankees Score: CC Sabathia Grinds Through Six Innings, Yanks Lead 5-2 Late
His counterpart, Red Sox starter John Lackey, actually went deeper into the ballgame, pitching seven innings, but gave up five runs (four earned) including a solo homer to backup catcher Francisco Cervelli. In fact, the whole game is kind of opposite land, as the Red Sox have four more hits than the Yankees midway through the top of the eighth inning and the Sox have turned three double plays.
The key number at this point in the game is this: 8. That’s how many runners in scoring position the Red Sox have left on base in this game. Obviously, if they had just driven in half of those guys, they would be winning, but that’s what an ace like CC is paid the (really, really) big bucks for — clamping down when his team needs him to.
This game isn't over yet, though. No one is as effective against Mariano Rivera as the Red Sox. Also, this game isn't over yet because, by law, Red Sox-Yankees games aren't allowed to end until four hours have elapsed. We're at three and a half at the time of this posting, so looks like we have a ways to go folks.
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