Red Sox 4, Yankees 1

By Mike Whiteman June 28, 2026 Happy 85th Birthday to Al Downing! The Yankees first African-American starting pitcher; early in his career he sometimes was referred to as the "Black Sandy Koufax" due to his lefthanded high heat. While he didn't live up to the nickname, he was a pretty good pitcher. Downing had a 3.23 ERA in Pinstripes from 1961-1969 and led the American League in strikeouts (and walks) in 1964. He was an AL All-Star in 1967. Downing was dealt away by the Yanks after the 1969 season, won 20 games in 1971 for the Dodgers, and in 1974 tossed the pitch that Hank Aaron hit for his 715th home run. https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/downial01.shtml

Quick Stats: The Yankees are 48-34, tied with Tampa Bay for first place in the American League East. Gerrit Cole allowed four earned runs in 5.1 innings, taking the loss and running his record to 2-3, 4.06. Big Story: Cole came into the contest with a career 2-2, 5.52 mark in eight Fenway Park starts. Perhaps yesterday would be the start of turning the tide at one of his most frustrating ballparks. Unfortunately, it wasn't. Masataka Yoshida led off the bottom of the first with a home run, putting the Yanks in an immediate 1-0 hole. Next inning, former Yankee farmhand Anthony Seigler ripped another solo homer, the first of his MLB career, and the Bosox had a 2-0 lead. Wilson Contreras doubled in two more runs in the third, and this clearly wasn't going to be Cole's day. Boston led 4-0. The Yankee starter righted the ship, and along with relievers Brent Headrick, Camilo Doval, and Paul Blackburn held the Red Sox scoreless the rest of the day. Alas, the only offense the Yanks could muster up was Max Schuemann's solo home run in the fifth inning.

Red Sox 4, Yankees 1. The Yankees have lost the first three games of a four-game set in Boston. Player of the Game: Sox rookie lefty Jake Bennett scattered only three hits in six plus innings. Notable Performances: Over his past nine appearances, Doval has a 1.08 ERA. Is this the beginning of some consistency from him? Better to Forget: Three hits for the Yankees yesterday, after only three hits Friday, against the last place team in their division is not good. They Said It: "We come in the game. We're fully prepared. The way it's going, we expect to be better" - Cody Bellinger on the Yanks' offensive struggles. My Take: We knew the loss of Aaron Judge would be a big deal. The Yanks have averaged less than three runs per game over their last eight contests, six of which were losses. Reality is setting in. With Judge expected back in August at the earliest, it's gut check time and the Yankees must figure out how to get it done over the next month-plus. That being said, the season is half over and it's hard to look at the first half as anything less than a great success. They lead their division and are on pace for 95 wins. Their gamble to "run it back" this year looks pretty good thus far. Who saw this coming? Not me, that's for sure. The driving force has been the pitching, with a MLB-leading 3.32 ERA going into play yesterday. A staff that consistently yields fewer runs takes pressure off the offense to perform. The pitching will have to keep this pace in order for the team to weather the current injuries to Judge, Trent Grisham, and Giancarlo Stanton. That doesn't mean this is a perfect team at all. Upgrades look to be necessary in multiple spots in the lineup and the bullpen. All in all though, I'll take where the team is right now. Next Up: Let's get a win, avoid an embarrassing four game sweep in Boston, and head back to Yankee Stadium for some home cooking. Carlos Rodon (4-2, 3.70) takes the mound against old friend Sonny Gray (9-1, 2.95). Game time 7:20pm.