LONDON — If MLB and England invite the Yankees back for a second look they undoubtedly will listen to the pitch.
Aaron Boone, Brian Cashman and players never missed a chance to gush about what an overwhelming experience playing two games at London Stadium against the blood rival Red Sox was on Saturday and Sunday.
They believed the Yankees helped plant the seeds for baseball to grow in the area and were visited by Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle.
And making the flight home across the dark Atlantic a lot less painful was the Yankees copping two games from the reeling Red Sox who look nothing like the defending World Series champions.
Stephen Tarpley lowered the Yankees into a four-run hole in the first inning when he surrendered three homers but the Yankees escaped and posted a 12-8 victory that was witnessed by a sold-out crowd that was treated to a Red Sox comeback attempt against Chance Adams in the late innings that fell short.
It was the Yankees’ 13th win 14 games, raised the record to 53-28 and extended their lead over the third-place Red Sox to 11 games in the AL East.
In two games against the Red Sox the Yankees scored 29 runs and produced 31 hits.
It took until the eighth inning but the Yankees homered for the 31st straight game and extended their MLB record. Didi Gregorius led off the frame with a homer to right.
Marcus Walden trotted out of the rotten Red Sox bullpen to start the seventh holding a 4-2 lead which turned into a 5-4 deficit before the right-hander recorded an out.
DJ LeMahieu extended the AL’s longest active hitting streak to 14 games with a leadoff double inside the right-field foul pole. Aaron Judge walked and Aaron Hicks’ double to right plated LeMahieu. Gary Sanchez followed with a two-run single to left that put the Yankees ahead, 5-4, and escorted Walden out of the game.
Matt Barnes replaced Walden to face Edwin Encarnacion, who walked. Gregorius whiffed in front of Gleyber Torres’ bloop single to right. Gio Urshela’s two-run single pushed the Yankees’ lead to 7-4. It was Urshela’s third RBI of the game.
Lefty Josh Taylor was summoned to face Brett Gardner and walked him. LeMahieu’s second double of the inning plated two runs for a 9-4 lead. Judge was walked intentionally to load the bases for Hicks and his fly to right scored Gardner and jacked the cushion to 10-4. Red Sox first baseman Michael Chavis’ error on Sanchez’ slow roller allowed the lead to swell to 11-4. Gregorius’ homer upped it to 12-4.
Leading 12-4 entering the eighth, Boone opted to let Adams finish it. Instead Adams left with the score, 12-7, and watched Zack Britton allow an RBI single to Sam Travis that cut the lead to four runs. Britton fell behind Rafael Devers, 3-0, and retired him on a 3-2 pitch he dribbled to LeMahieu at first.
Aroldis Chapman recorded the final three outs in a non-save situation.
With Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez’ pitch count at 108 after five innings the lefty opened the sixth against the left-handed hitting Gregorius leading off. Gregorius was 1-for-2 against Rodriguez which hiked the career average against Rodriguez to .324 (11-for-34).
Red Sox manager Alex Cora’s plan worked because Gregorius struck out on Rodriguez’ season-high 115th pitch. Right-hander Colten Brewer surfaced from the pen and fanned Urshela and Gardner for the final two outs.
Luis Cessa took over for Tarpley to start the second inning after Tarpley gave up four runs and three homers in the first. Cessa didn’t give up a run in four frames.
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Cessa had to pitch around a throwing error by Torres that botched a pick off play in the fourth and Rodriguez negated Judge’s leadoff single in the fifth by retiring the next three hitters.
Trailing 4-0, Encarnacion walked to start the second and Gregorius followed with a single to short. A walk to Torres loaded the bases without an out for Gio Urshela. His ground ball to shortstop Xander Bogaerts should have been a double play but Bogaerts bobbled the ball and lost the chance for two outs as Encarnacion scored. Brett Gardner followed with a single that plated Gregorius and cut the deficit to 4-2.
LeMahieu flied out to right in front of Judge walking to re-load the bases for Aaron Hicks who struck out.
Tarpley started the game because Chad Green was used for two innings Saturday night. Tarpley retired Mookie Betts on a grounder to short leading off the opening frame and then gave up a single to Devers before Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez homered back-to-back. With two outs Christian Vazquez gave the Red Sox a 4-0 lead with homer to right.
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