Tag: new york

How did former Red Sox pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz fare in first season with Yankees organization?

With the Red Sox and Yankees set to square off in a best-of-three Wild Card series in the Bronx beginning Tuesday night, it feels like an appropriate time to revisit the noteworthy trade the two clubs made at the Winter Meetings last December.

Just hours after pulling off a blockbuster five-player trade with the White Sox for All-Star ace Garrett Crochet on December 11, the Red Sox acquired rookie catcher Carlos Narvaez from the Yankees for pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz.

In a rare swap between division rivals, Boston obtained a 26-year-old backstop who has since emerged as the club’s top catching option and one of the best defenders at his position. New York, on the other hand, obtained a young pitcher who just now appears to be tapping into his potential.

A former fourth-round draft pick of the Red Sox in 2021 out of Leadership Christian Academy in Puerto Rico, Rodriguez-Cruz reached High-A Greenville last season before being dealt to the Yankees a little more than nine months ago. The 22-year-old right-hander began opening eyes in spring training and broke camp with High-A Hudson Valley in early April.

In 15 appearances (14 starts) for the Renegades, Rodriguez-Cruz posted a 2.26 ERA (2.58 FIP) with 99 strikeouts to 37 walks over 83 2/3 innings in which he held opponents to a .174 batting average. He was rewarded with a promotion to Double-A Somerset shortly before the MLB All-Star break in July and — even after struggling in his debut at the level — produced a 2.64 ERA (2.28 FIP) with 74 strikeouts to 20 walks over 11 starts (61 1/3 innings) for the Patriots in which opposing hitters batted .198 against him.

Following the conclusion of the Double-A season, the Yankees moved Rodriguez up another level so that he could end the year with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The righty started the RailRiders’ penultimate game of the regular season on September 20, allowing four earned runs on eight hits, no walks, and three strikeouts over five innings. He took the mound again in the deciding Game 3 of the International League championship series last Thursday and was saddled with the loss after surrendering five earned runs in just two-thirds of an inning against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.

Despite how it ended, 2025 was nonetheless a standout year for Rodriguez-Cruz. Between three minor-league levels, he finished the regular season having forged a 2.58 ERA (2.47 FIP) with 176 strikeouts to 57 walks across 27 total outings (26 starts) spanning exactly 150 innings pitched. Among the 288 minor-leaguers who threw at least 100 innings this season, he ranked third in FIP, fifth in xFIP (2.81), seventh in groundball rate (54.5 percent), 13th in batting average against (.192), 17th in ERA, 19th in strikeout rate (29 percent), 25th in WHIP (1.07), 30th in strikeouts per nine innings (10.56), and 39th in swinging-strike rate (13.8 percent), per FanGraphs.

In the days since his season drew to a close, Rodriguez-Cruz has already been recognized by Baseball America as a High-A All-Star, a First Team Minor League All-Star, and the Yankees’ 2025 Minor League Player of the Year. The 6-foot-3 hurler is currently ranked by the publication as the No. 5 prospect in New York’s farm system and the No. 99 prospect in the sport. What helped him gain traction this year is an already-diverse pitch mix that now consists of a mid-90s sinker that has reached 98 mph, a four-seam fastball, a sweeper, a curveball, a splitter, and a gyro slider.

Rodriguez-Cruz, who does not turn 23 until next August, is in line to be added to the Yankees’ 40-man roster for Rule 5 protection purposes this winter. If that does indeed happen, Rodriguez-Cruz could very well put himself in position to debut at the big-league level at some point in 2026.

(Picture of Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz: Madison McCall/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)

Red Sox trade pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez to Yankees to bolster catching depth

The Red Sox traded an intriguing pitching prospect to the Yankees for catcher Carlos Narvaez on Wednesday night.

In exchange for Narvaez — a 26-year-old who made his major-league debut this past season — Boston sent right-hander Elmer Rodriguez and $250,000 in international bonus pool space to New York. Infielder/outfielder Enmanuel Valdez was designated for assignment to make room for Narvaez on the Red Sox’ 40-man roster.

Rodriguez, 21, was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 20 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The native Puerto Rican was originally selected by the Red Sox in the fourth round (105th overall) of the 2021 draft out of Leadership Christian Academy in Guaynabo. He forwent his commitment to Oregon by signing with the club for $497,500.

Rodriguez split the 2024 campaign between Low-A Salem and High-A Greenville, posting a 2.91 ERA and 3.56 FIP with 102 strikeouts to 43 walks in 21 appearances (20 starts) spanning a career-high 89 2/3 innings. After being promoted from Salem to Greenville in late July, the righty pitched to a 3.77 ERA (5.34 FIP)  with 29 strikeouts to 18 walks in seven starts (28 2/3 innings). Opposing hitters batted just .180 against him in that stretch.

Though he is listed at 6-foot-3 and 160 pounds, Rodriguez is presumably heavier than that after adding strength last offseason in an effort to gain more velocity. Those efforts seemingly paid off, as the athletic hurler now sits between 94-97 mph and can reach 99 mph with his fastball. He also mixes in an 85-88 mph slider, an 80-83 mph curveball, and an 88-91 mph curveball, per his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Rodriguez, who does not turn 22 until August, can become Rule 5-eligible for the first time in his career next winter if he is not added to the Yankees’ 40-man roster by the protection deadline in November. Having said that, it should be interesting to see how he adjusts to life in a new organization moving forward.

(Picture of Elmer Rodriguez: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Kiké Hernández comes through with game-winning RBI single as Red Sox take series from Yankees with 3-2 victory in extras

The Red Sox ended their first series of the season against the Yankees the same way they started it: with a 3-2 win. In need of a victory to avoid dropping a fourth straight series, Boston scratched and clawed its way to a hard-fought, one-run triumph over New York on Sunday night to get back to .500 at 33-33 on the season.

With over 46,000 on hand at Yankee Stadium, the Red Sox drew first blood against Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt in the second inning. To lead off the top half of the frame, Justin Turner took Schmidt 373 feet to right-center field for his eighth home run of the year.

Despite falling behind by a run early on, it did not take the Yankees long to respond. Brayan Bello, making his 10th start of the season for the Sox, worked a 1-2-3 first inning but ran into some trouble in the bottom of the second by issuing a leadoff walk to Josh Donaldson and a two-out ground-rule double to Billy McKinney.

Jose Trevino came to the plate with two outs and runners at second and third. Bello got Trevino to hit what looked to be a routine grounder up the middle, but the ball actually deflected off the second-base bag, eluding an awaiting Enrique Hernandez and rolling all the way to shallow center field. As a result, both Donaldson and McKinney scored to give New York its first lead of the night at 2-1.

A half-inning later, more weirdness occurred on the base paths. After reaching base via a one-out single, Jarren Duran was prepared to take off for second when Alex Verdugo ripped a groundball to the right side of the infield. Incidentally, the ball struck Duran on his way to second base and he was ruled out as a result.

Bello, meanwhile, settled in after a somewhat rocky second inning. The right-hander retired 14 of the final 17 final batters he faced and wound up allowing just the two runs on three hits and two walks to go along with three strikeouts over seven strong innings of work.

Finishing with 98 pitches (63 strikes), Bello induced seven swings-and-misses while averaging 93.8 mph and topping out at 96.7 mph with his four-seam fastball. The 24-year-old did not factor into Sunday’s decision, but he did lower his ERA on the season to 3.78.

With Bello’s night done, the Red Sox lineup went back to work in the top of the eighth. Opposed by Yankees reliever Michael King, Hernandez led off with a single to left field and immediately advanced to second after second baseman Gleyber Torres got careless and let the throw back to the infield get by him.

Hernandez took advantage of the error by moving up into scoring position and Reese McGuire followed by drawing a five-pitch walk. Pablo Reyes then laid down a nicely-placed sacrifice bunt to advance both runners an additional 90 feet and set the stage for Duran, who knotted things up at 2-2 by plating Hernandez from third on an RBI groundout to the right side.

Following scoreless innings out of the bullpen from Nick Pivetta and Kenley Jansen, the Red Sox found themselves in extras for the first time since April 29. To lead off the top of the 10th, Triston Casas advanced the pinch-running Adam Duvall up to third base on a hard-hit groundout off Ron Marinaccio.

With the possible go-ahead run just 90 feet away and the Yankees infield playing in, Hernandez delivered by lacing a 103.3 mph single past an outstretched Anthony Volpe at shortstop. Duvall easily scored from third to put the Sox back up, 3-2, going into the bottom of the 10th.

Having already used Jansen, Red Sox manager Alex Cora tasked Chris Martin with getting the three most important outs of the night. Martin, in turn, allowed the potential tying run to move up to third on a fly out before punching out both Trevino and Volpe to notch his first save of 2023.

Next up: Back home to host the Rockies

On the heels of a 3-3 road trip, the Red Sox will return home and welcome the Colorado Rockies into town for the start of six-game homestand at Fenway Park.

In Monday night’s series opener, veteran left-hander James Paxton will get the start for Boston while Colorado will counter by sending former Red Sox farmhand Connor Seabold to the hill against his old team.

First pitch from Fenway Park on Monday is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Enrique Hernandez: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Tanner Houck fires 6 strong innings, but Red Sox go down quietly in 3-1 loss to Yankees

The Red Sox received a strong outing from Tanner Houck, but were held to just one run and dropped the middle game of their three-game set against the Yankees as a result. Boston fell to New York by a final score of 3-1 at Yankee Stadium to drop back to under .500 at 32-33 on the season.

Houck pitched well in his 12th start of the year for the Sox. The right-hander allowed two earned runs on three hits, one walk, and one hit batsman to go along with six strikeouts over six innings of work.

After retiring the first nine batters he faced, though, Houck surrendered a leadoff home run to Gleyber Torres, who laced a first-pitch sinker 359 feet into the right field seats to open the scoring for the Yankees.

It took until the sixth inning for the Red Sox to respond. After leaving six runners on base through the first five frames, Rafael Devers led off the top of the sixth by taking Yankees starter Domingo German 417 feet deep to right-center field for his 15th home run of the season and his second in as many nights.

Devers’ 108.4 mph blast tied the score at 1-1. Adam Duvall followed with a single — his first hit since returning from the injured list on Friday — and stolen base, but he, too, was stranded in scoring position as Triston Casas and Christian Arroyo both struck out while Reese McGuire flew out to extinguish the threat.

Houck came back out for the latter half of the sixth and induced two quick outs before serving up a go-ahead solo shot to Willie Calhoun on a 1-2, 88.7 mph splitter at the bottom of the zone. Calhoun’s homer barely cleared the right-field fence, but it travelled far enough to put the Yankees back up, 2-1, heading into the seventh.

Finishing with 93 pitches (56 strikes), Houck induced 14 swings-and-misses while mixing in his slider, sinker, splitter, four-seamer, and cutter. Despite lowering his ERA on the season down to 5.23 on Saturday, the 26-year-old hurler was charged with the losing decision.

With Houck’s night done, Brennan Bernardino received the first call out of the Boston bullpen from manager Alex Cora. Bernardino gave up a leadoff single to Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who moved up to second base on a groundout. Josh Winckowski was then brought in to face Kyle Higashioka with two outs in the inning.

On the first pitch he saw from Winckowski, Higashioka ripped a sharp groundball up the middle. Arroyo, the second baseman, attempted to field the ball by diving for it, but it instead nicked off his glove and rolled away. As a result, Kiner-Falefa was able to score all the way from second since Arroyo’s throw back towards home plate did not have much behind it.

That sequence of events provided New York with some valuable insurance in the form of a 3-1 lead. Duvall led off the eighth by getting plunked by Tommy Kahnle, but he failed to move past first.

Down to their final three outs in the ninth, Alex Verdugo laced a one-out single off Yankees closer Clay Holmes to bring the tying run to the plate. Masataka Yoshida then punched out before Justin Turner grounded out to end it in two hours and 29 minutes.

All told, the Red Sox went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position on Saturday and left 11 runners on base as a team. They have won two of their last eight games and are averaging 2.38 runs per game over that stretch.

Devers passes Williams

Devers’ sixth-inning homer was the 21st of his career against the Yankees. With it, the 26-year-old slugger broke a tie with Ted Williams for the most against New York by a Red Sox player before turning 27.

Next up: Bello gets ball in rubber match

As the Red Sox look to avoid falling two games under .500 for the first time since April 14, they will send Brayan Bello to the mound in Sunday night’s series finale. The Yankees will counter with fellow right-hander Clarke Schmidt.

First pitch from Yankee Stadium is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. eastern time on ESPN.

(Picture of Tanner Houck: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Rafael Devers homers off Gerrit Cole for seventh time as Red Sox hold on to take opener from Yankees, 3-2

In their first of 13 meetings this season, the Red Sox made a statement against the Yankees in front of a sellout crowd at Yankee Stadium on Friday night. Behind a strong start from Garrett Whitlock and home runs from Rafael Devers and Enrique Hernandez, Boston held on for a 3-2 win over New York to get back to .500 at 32-32 on the year.

Going up against Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, the Sox drew first blood in the top of the fourth inning. After being held in check through the first three frames, Devers ripped a one-out ground-rule double over the right-center field wall. Adam Duvall fanned for the second time in as may trips to the plate, but Triston Casas came through by plating Devers on a hard-hit RBI single.

Two innings later, Devers struck again. In familiar fashion, the slugging third baseman took a first-pitch changeup at the bottom of the zone from Cole and deposited it 405 feet into the visitors’ bullpen to put Boston up, 2-0. The towering, 106.2 mph solo shot was Devers’ 14th big fly of the season and the seventh of his career off Cole.

Whitlock, meanwhile, was in the midst of his sixth start of the year for the Red Sox. Facing the Yankees for the first time in his career as a starter, the right-hander allowed just two runs (one earned) on seven hits and one walk to go along with six strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings of work.

After maneuvering his way around some traffic through the first five innings, Whitlock served up a 448-foot leadoff homer to Josh Donaldson to begin things in the sixth. Though the Yankees trimmed the deficit in half of Donaldson’s solo blast, the Red Sox wasted little time in getting that run back in the seventh.

Having already chased Cole out of the game, the Sox got to reliever Albert Abreu. Connor Wong struck out for the first out of the inning, but Hernandez cranked a solo shot down the left field line for his sixth homer of the year. The 391-foot blast left Hernandez’s bat at 104.3 mph and gave Boston a 3-1 advantage.

Whitlock came back out for the latter half of the seventh and issued a leadoff single to Isiah Kiner-Falefa on a groundball that was mishandled by second baseman Christian Arroyo. Kiner-Falefa, who was thrown out by Wong on a steal attempt in the second inning, promptly stole second base and advanced to third as Wong’s off-target pickoff attempt skipped into center field.

Kiner-Falefa took advantage of more sloppy play from the Red Sox moments later, this time scoring from third when Whitlock spiked ball four to the pinch-hitting Gleyber Torres into the dirt. Whitlock was then given the hook for Nick Pivetta, who stranded the lone runner he inherited by inducing two quick outs to preserve Boston’s one-run lead.

Finishing with 88 pitches (63 strikes), Whitlock induced 10 of his 18 swings-and-misses with his sweeper, a pitch he threw 26 times. The 26-year-old also averaged 94 mph and topped out at 96.3 mph with his sinker, a pitch he threw 43 times. He ultimately picked up the winning decision while lowering his ERA on the season down to 4.78.

Pivetta was only needed to record the final two outs of the seventh. Chris Martin continued that trend out of the bullpen by making quick work of the Yankees in the eighth to pave the way for closer Kenley Jansen in the ninth.

Jansen retired Jake Bauers and Kiner-Falefa on five pitches for the first two outs of the inning. Back-to-back singles from Billy McKinney and Torres made things interesting, but Jansen rallied and notched his 14th save of the year by getting Anthony Volpe to pop out to end it in a swift two hours and 28 minutes.

Duvall returns from injured list

After missing the last 54 games with a fractured left wrist, Adam Duvall returned to the Red Sox lineup on Friday. Batting fifth and starting in center field, the 34-year-old slugger went 0-for-3 with a walk and three strikeouts.

Next up: Houck vs. German

The Red Sox will look to take their first series of the season from the Yankees on Saturday night. Tanner Houck will get the start for Boston while New York will counter with fellow right-hander Domingo German.

First pitch from Yankee Stadium is scheduled for 7:35 p.m. eastern time on FOX.

(Picture of Rafael Devers: Elsa/Getty Images)

Red Sox release prospect acquired in Andrew Benintendi trade

The Red Sox have released minor-league outfielder-turned-pitcher Freddy Valdez, per the club’s transactions log.

Valdez, 21, was one of five players Boston acquired as part of the three-team trade with the Royals and Mets that sent outfielder Andrew Benintendi to Kansas City in February 2021. The Red Sox initially obtained outfielder Franchy Cordero and right-hander Josh Winckowski and then received three more prospects (Valdez, and righties Grant Gambrell and Luis De La Rosa) as players to be named later that June.

At the time of the trade, Valdez was regarded by MLB Pipeline as the No. 14 prospect in the Mets’ farm system after originally signing with the club for $1.450 million as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in July 2018.

As a then-19-year-old outfielder, Valdez had impressed scouts by flashing intriguing power potential and athleticism. Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom had high praise for the right-handed hitter after acquiring him from New York.

“Corner outfielder, power-profile,” Bloom said of Valdez when speaking with reporters (including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith) back in June 2021. “ery young. For a guy who is as power-oriented as he was as an amateur — and who has a lot of the strengths and weaknesses that come with that profile — to get into pro ball and perform the way he did initially was really impressive. Got him on our radar. And we got to see him a little bit in extended (spring training).”

Despite the high praise from Bloom, Valdez struggled at the plate in each of the last two seasons and never graduated past rookie ball. He batted just .229/.356/.33 with no home runs and 16 RBIs over 31 Florida Complex League games in 2021 and then slashed .192/.286/.289 with one homer and nine RBIs across 22 games while repeating the same level last year.

On the heels of back-to-back disappointing campaigns, Valdez was converted into a pitcher earlier this season. But the 6-foot-3, 212-pounder never made it out of extended spring training before being cut loose by the Red Sox on Thursday.

Valdez joins Cordero, who was non-tendered over the winter after spending two seasons in Boston, as two pieces from the Benintendi trade who are no longer with the organization. The three players who remain are all pitchers. Winckowski, 24, has posted a 2.15 ERA in 17 appearances (29 1/3 innings) out of the Red Sox bullpen so far this year. Gambrell, 25, was recently promoted from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland and has put up a 1.69 ERA in his first two starts (10 2/3 innings) with the Sea Dogs. De La Rosa, 20, owns a 2.88 ERA in 25 innings of work for Low-A Salem.

As noted by MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo, though, neither Gambrell or De La Rosa are ranked among the top 60 prospects in the Red Sox’ farm system by SoxProspects.com.

(Picture of Freddy Valdez: Bryan Green/Flickr)

Red Sox make minor trade with Yankees by sending outfielder Greg Allen to New York

The Red Sox have traded Triple-A outfielder Greg Allen to the Yankees for minor-league right-hander Diego Hernandez and cash considerations, the club announced on Friday.

Allen, 30, joined the Red Sox organization as a minor-league free agent in mid-January. The speedy switch-hitter spent the first seven weeks of the 2023 season with the WooSox, batting .250/.407/.388 with eight doubles, one triple, two home runs, 15 RBIs, 25 runs scored, 21 walks, and 29 in strikeouts in 37 games (151 plate appearances). He also went a perfect 23-for-23 on stolen base attempts while seeing playing time in left and center field.

Per SoxProspects.com’s Chris Hatfield, Allen had an upward mobility clause in his contract. He triggered that clause earlier this week, meaning he will more than likely be added to New York’s major-league roster in the coming days. Boston addressed Allen’s departure by signing fellow outfielder Bradley Zimmer to a minors pact and assigning him to Worcester on Friday.

In similar fashion to Zimmer, Allen was originally selected by the Guardians in the sixth round of the 2014 amateur draft out of San Diego State. The California native first broke in at the big-league level with Cleveland in 2017 and has since played for four different teams.

On that note, this will not be Allen’s first go-around with the Yankees, as he spent the entirety of the 2021 season in the organization. He appeared in 73 games for the club’s Triple-A affiliate and got into 15 major-league contests, going 10-for-37 (.270) at the plate with four doubles, one triple, two RBIs, nine runs scored, five stolen bases, five walks, and 13 strikeouts.

All told, Allen is a lifetime .232/.299/.366 hitter with 10 homers, 67 RBIs, and 45 stolen bases across 282 games (800 plate appearances) with the Guardians, Padres, Yankees, and Pirates. He is looking to get into at least one big-league game for the seventh consecutive season.

Hernandez, meanwhile, is an 18-year-old righty from Mexico who signed with the Yankees for $25,000 as an international free agent in January 2022. In 12 outings (five starts) in the Dominican Summer League last season, the Puebla native posted a 2.10 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 48 strikeouts to 14 walks over 34 1/3 innings in which he held opposing hitters to a .188 batting average against.

(Picture of Greg Allen: Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Former Red Sox slugger Franchy Cordero agrees to deal with Yankees

Former Red Sox first baseman/outfielder Franchy Cordero has agreed to a one-year, major-league contract with the Yankees, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. It is a split deal that will pay Cordero $1 million in the big-leagues and $180,000 in the minors. Barring a late surprise, the 28-year-old appears set to make New York’s Opening Day roster.

Cordero spent the last two seasons with the Red Sox after originally being acquired from the Royals as part of the three-team, seven-player trade that sent Andrew Benintendi to Kansas City in February 2021. In 132 games with Boston, the left-handed hitter batted .209/.279/.350 with 23 doubles, one triple, nine home runs, 38 RBIs, 48 runs scored, five stolen bases, 36 walks, and 143 strikeouts over 411 plate appearances.

To begin his Red Sox tenure, Cordero struggled to the tune of a .189/.237/.260 slash line across 48 games in 2021. Though he found success at Triple-A Worcester during that time, he was still designated for assignment that October and was subsequently re-signed to a minor-league deal.

Cordero returned to Worcester for the start of the 2022 campaign and was called up for the first time in late April. He proceeded to hit .282/.346/.479 with two homers and 12 RBIs in his first 25 games back with the big-league club, most notably crushing a walk-off grand slam against the Mariners at Fenway Park on May 22.

As the calendar flipped from May to June, though, Cordero began to struggle again. He produced a .721 OPS in June and then slumped to the tune of a .162/.240/.279 line in July before being sent down to Worcester in early August. Cordero was recalled later that month after Eric Hosmer hit the injured list. He homered four times in his next 12 games but his season unfortunately came to an end on September 5 when he crashed into the left field wall at Tropicana Field and suffered a high right ankle sprain.

Cordero was projected to earn $1.5 million as an arbitration-eligible player in 2023 but was non-tendered by the Red Sox in November. It was previously reported that Boston liked what Cordero brought to the table in terms of tools and personality, but it could not guarantee him a clear path to playing time thanks to the emergence of fellow left-handed hitting first baseman Triston Casas.

Shortly after being cut loose by the Red Sox, Cordero inked a minors pact with the Orioles in December that came with an invite to major-league spring training. In 18 Grapefruit League for with Baltimore, the Dominican native slashed a blistering .413/.426/.674 with four doubles, one triple, two home runs, nine RBIs, nine runs scored, one stolen base, zero walks, and 11 strikeouts over 47 trips to the plate.

Despite those relatively strong numbers, Cordero could not crack the Orioles’ Opening Day roster. As such, he was granted his release from the organization on Monday.

Cordero, who does not turn 29 until September, should provide the Yankees with some experienced depth in the outfield and at first base, if needed. The Red Sox do not play their top division rivals until early June, so it will be interesting to see what kind of role — if any — Cordero has carved out for himself by then. As Jarren Duran put it on Wednesday, “it might be weird seeing him without the beard.”

(Picture of Franchy Cordero: Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)

Narciso Crook goes deep twice, leads power surge for Red Sox in 11-7 win over Yankees

The Red Sox went deep six times en route to a high-scoring win over the Yankees on Thursday afternoon. In the first of 15 meetings between the two rivals this year, Boston defeated New York by a final score of 11-7 at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.

With Clarke Schmidt starting for the Yankees, the Red Sox jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in their half of the second inning. After Reese McGuire reached base via a one-out single, Narciso Crook got his side on the board first by crushing a 327-foot two-run home run down the right field line.

Nick Pivetta, who was making his second start of the spring for Boston, had already worked a scoreless first inning. But the right-hander ran into some trouble in the second after issuing a pair of walks to Josh Donaldson and Rafael Ortega. He then gave up a game-tying, two-run single to Jose Trevino.

Having already thrown 33 pitches in the second inning alone, Pivetta was pulled by Red Sox manager Alex Cora with two outs. Ryan Miller, who was acquired from the Yankees in the minor-league phase of December’s Rule 5 Draft, was called upon on to record the final out of the second. Pivetta’s day, however, was not yet over.

After Schmidt stranded one runner in the top of the third, Pivetta came back out for the bottom half of the inning. The 30-year-old hurler surrendered a leadoff single to Aaron Judge but ended his afternoon on a more positive note by fanning Anthony Rizzo on five pitches.

All told, Pivetta allowed two earned runs on three hits and three walks to go along with two strikeouts over two total innings of work. He finished with 57 pitches (34 strikes) and averaged 94.7 mph with his four-seam fastball while inducing four swings-and-misses.

Durbin Feltman took over Pivetta with one out in the third and stranded the lone runner he inherited by inducing a pair of groundouts. He was responsible for the fourth inning as well, but he gave up a one-out double to Oswald Peraza and allowed him to score the then-go-ahead run on two wild pitches while Trevino was at the plate.

Following a scoreless fifth inning from Zack Kelly, though, the Red Sox erupted for six runs in the top of the sixth. Facing off against old friend Tyler Danish, minor-league outfielder Tyler Dearden clubbed a 422-foot solo shot to right-center field to lead things off. After Ceddanne Rafaela reached base with one out, Daniel Palka delivered with a 375-foot homer of his own that put Boston up, 5-3.

Niko Goodrum and McGuire then reached on back-to-back singles before Crook came through with his second big fly of the day. This one left his bat at a blistering 105.3 mph and was deposited 424 feet over the left field wall. The sharply-hit three-run blast gave the Red Sox some breathing room in the form of an 8-3 lead.

Kelly remained in for the bottom of the sixth and retired the final three batters he faced. Eddinson Paulino, who pinch-ran for Enmanuel Valdez the inning prior, led off the seventh inning by launching a 389-foot home run off new Yankees reliever Demarcus Evans. Chase Shugart was next up out of the bullpen after Kelly and also faced the minimum while punching out top prospect Jasson Dominguez in the latter half of the seventh.

After Norwith Gudino put up another zero in the eighth, the Red Sox made sure to make their last at-bats count in the ninth. Christian Koss drew a leadoff walk off Randy Vazquez. Three batters later, Phillip Sikes capped off the scoring by drilling a 395-foot two-run homer that had an exit velocity of 105.7 mph to right field.

Taking a commanding 11-3 advantage into the bottom of the ninth, Gudino served up a pair of home runs (including a three-run shot to Dominguez), but he was ultimately able to hang on and secure an 11-7 victory for the Red Sox.

With the win, which took two hours and 47 minutes to complete, Boston improves to 9-0-3 in Grapefruit League play and 11-0-3 in all competitions this spring.

Other worthwhile observations:

Batting out of the nine-hole and starting in left field on Thursday, Dearden went 2-for-3 with his sixth-inning home run. The 24-year-old was originally selected by the Red Sox in the 29th round of the 2017 amateur draft.

McGuire and Crook went a combined 4-for-6 on Thursday with five RBIs and four runs scored between them.

Next up: Kluber starts against Blue Jays

The Red Sox will return to Fort Myers on Friday afternoon to host the Blue Jays at JetBlue Park. Veteran right-hander Corey Kluber will get the start for Boston opposite fellow righty Zach Thompson for Toronto.

First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Narciso Crook: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Former Red Sox reliever Tyler Danish signs minor-league deal with Yankees

Former Red Sox reliever Tyler Danish has signed a minor-league contract with the Yankees, according to WFAN’s Sweeney Murti. The deal comes with an invite to major-league spring training.

Danish, 28, was outrighted off Boston’s 40-man roster in late October after clearing waivers and elected to become a free agent in lieu of accepting a minor-league assignment.

The Red Sox initially signed Danish to a minors pact last February. The right-hander was added to the club’s 40-man roster before Opening Day and was called up from Triple-A Worcester shortly thereafter.

Having last pitched at the big-league level in 2018, Danish posted a 5.13 ERA and 4.97 FIP with 32 strikeouts to 12 walks over 32 relief appearances (40 1/3 innings pitched) for the Red Sox this past season. He was sidelined from July 7 until August 28 with a right forearm strain.

Per Baseball Savant, Danish worked with five different pitches in 2022. The 6-foot, 200-pound hurler featured a low-80s curveball, a low-90s sinker, a mid-80s changeup, a low-90s four-seam fastball, and a rarely-used high-80s slider. He held opposing hitters to a .175 batting average against with his curveball, which was his most frequently-used offering.

A native of Florida, Danish was originally selected by the White Sox in the second round of the 2013 amateur draft out of Durant High School in Plant City. He broke in with the North Siders in 2016 and forged a 4.85 ERA in parts of three seasons (13 innings) for Chicago before electing free agency at the conclusion of the 2018 campaign.

From there, Danish spent a brief amount of time in the Mariners organization before pivoting to independent league baseball midway through the 2019 season. He pitched for both the New Britain Bees of the Atlantic League and Sioux Falls Canaries of the American Association before inking a minor-league deal with the Angels last May.

All told, Danish owns a lifetime 5.06 ERA at the major-league level, a 3.65 ERA in indy ball, and a 5.51 ERA in 107 outings (39 starts) at the Triple-A level. He is out of minor-league options, but he should have the chance to compete for a spot in the Yankees’ Opening Day bullpen once spring training begins in February.

(Picture of Tyler Danish: Paul Rutherford/Getty Images)