For six innings, it looked like the Yankees might finally run out of timely hits in Boston. I will not lie and say I did not put my broom back in the closet. The missed opportunities felt all too similar to the frustrating Tampa series. They stranded runners, watched Red Sox rookie Payton Tolle pitch out of repeated trouble, and trailed entering the seventh inning.
Then the same formula that carried the first two games of the series showed up again: enough pitching and timely hitting. Cody Bellinger delivered the biggest swing off the bench, Aaron Judge added insurance, and the Yankees stormed back for a 4-2 win to complete their first three-game sweep at Fenway Park since September 2021.
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Cam Schlittler was not overpowering in his homecoming start, but the Walpole native gave the Yankees exactly what they needed. Boston scratched across an early run on Marcelo Mayer’s RBI double in the second, then Carlos Narváez pushed the Red Sox back ahead with a solo homer in the fifth.
Schlittler limited the damage and kept the game close long enough for the lineup to respond. For a young starter pitching in front of family and friends near his hometown, it was another composed outing in an increasingly impressive opening month. Saying opening month for Schlittler almost feels ridiculous at this point, because he already carries himself like a four-year veteran.
The right-hander worked efficiently throughout the night, showing the poise that has quickly earned trust inside the Yankees’ clubhouse. He changed speeds, got ahead in counts, and never let the atmosphere or the moment speed him up. That type of maturity is difficult to fake, especially in Fenway Park against a rival.
The Yankees had chances well before their breakthrough. They loaded the bases in the fourth inning, only for Tolle to escape with back-to-back strikeouts of Giancarlo Stanton and Trent Grisham. On another night, that sequence could have defined the game. However, these Yankees seem to be finding some swagger and confidence in each other.
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Jazz Chisholm Jr. opened the fifth inning by launching a solo homer to right field, tying the game at one and injecting life into an offense that had missed multiple earlier opportunities. The first home run of the year for Jazz snuck around the Pesky Pole and, perhaps, can jumpstart him back into his old pesky self.
The winning rally arrived in the seventh. Grisham singled and Chisholm followed with a base hit before José Caballero loaded the bases. After Austin Wells struck out, Aaron Boone called on Bellinger as a pinch-hitter. Belli delivered, ripping a two-run single to left that scored Grisham and Chisholm to put New York ahead 3-2.
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Judge followed immediately with an RBI single to right that plated Caballero. A misplay in the outfield allowed Judge to take second, and just like that, a tense one-run deficit had become a two-run Yankees lead.
Boston threatened to respond in the bottom half, but Trevor Story bounced into a momentum-killing double play started by Caballero. Schlittler’s final line was outstanding: 8.0 innings, one earned run, four hits, one walk, and five strikeouts. He was not overpowering, but he once again looked in complete control and outdueled a young Boston lefty. At this point, he may not own the city of Boston, but he certainly lives there rent free.
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Schlittler handed the ball over to closer David Bednar for the final frame. Bednar closed the door one, two, three. It earned Bednar his seventh save on the year and dropped his ERA down to 3.38.
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A series sweep at Fenway is rare, but the Yankees leave Boston atop the American League East, carrying a six-game winning streak and plenty of momentum into their next test against the Astros. Friday night’s opener in Houston is set for 8:10 p.m. EDT, with Will Warren scheduled to face Lance McCullers Jr.
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