Bullpen Meltdown Dooms Yankees, Red Sox Clinch Division
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — Mookie Betts and the Boston Red Sox won their third consecutive AL East championship Thursday night, clinching on enemy turf with an 11-6 victory over the rival New York Yankees.
Betts homered, doubled twice and drove in five runs, finishing with four hits as the Red Sox overcame Giancarlo Stanton's go-ahead grand slam in the fourth inning. Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a tying home run in the seventh and Xander Bogaerts put Boston ahead with a sacrifice fly.
Betts, a top contender for AL MVP, opened the game with a double off the left-field fence against Masahiro Tanaka and scored on Martinez's single. Betts added a two-run single in the second, then doubled and scored in the fifth.
Bradley tied it 6-all with a leadoff homer in the seventh against Chad Green (8-3). Christian Vazquez singled, and Boston loaded the bases before Bogaerts delivered his sacrifice fly. Another run scored on the play when center fielder Aaron Hicks was charged with a throwing error.
Betts launched his 30th home run in the eighth, a three-run shot off All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman, who was activated from the disabled list Wednesday.
Luke Voit hit a two-run homer for New York.
SLOW START
Tanaka threw 31 pitches in a first inning that took 38 minutes even though only one run scored.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Yankees: Chapman also gave up a hit and a walk in his first outing since Aug. 21. He had been out with left knee tendinitis.
UP NEXT
CC Sabathia (7-7, 3.80 ERA) pitches Friday night at home against rookie RHP Yefry Ramirez (1-6, 5.50) and the last-place Orioles. Sabathia was tagged for five runs and seven hits over 2 1/3 innings in Saturday's loss to Toronto. He has one win in his last 11 starts.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
