Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees Box Score on Aug 18, 2021

Andrew Heaney pitched seven effective innings, Anthony Rizzo hit a two-run single in his return from the COVID-19 list and the surging New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 5-2 Wednesday night to complete a three-game sweep at Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees tied a season high with their sixth straight win and won for the 18th time in 23 games since blowing a four-run lead at Fenway Park on July 25. They were 9 1/2 games behind the Red Sox in the AL East on July 26, but completing the sweep put them one game ahead of their rival for the second wild-card spot.

Heaney (8-8) survived an early homer by Xander Bogaerts and allowed one run and two hits for his second win since being acquired from the Los Angeles Angels on July 30. The left-hander struck out four and walked two in a 108-pitch outing.

Rizzo returned from missing 10 games, and in his first appearance since Aug. 7, the first baseman capped New York's four-run second with a hard single off Nick Pivetta (9-6) that deflected off first baseman Bobby Dalbec's glove.

Rizzo's hit followed an RBI single by Andrew Velazquez and a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Brett Gardner that scored Giancarlo Stanton, who had opened the inning with a single. Gardner tied the game after Pivetta walked and Rougned Odor and Gary Sanchez singled to load the bases.

Velazquez padded the lead with another RBI single in the eighth.

Bogaerts hit an 0-2 fastball into the second deck in right field three batters in, but Boston's offense did little else until Hunter Renfroe homered in the ninth off Aroldis Chapman. The Red Sox fell to 8-15 since taking three of four from the Yankees July 22-25.

Heaney's most impressive moments occurred in the sixth and seventh.

He ended the sixth by getting Bogaerts on a double play. He fanned Rafael Devers on a high fastball after getting ahead 0-2 and then got flyouts on J.D. Martinez and Kevin Plawecki.

Zack Britton got a pair of groundouts in a perfect eighth, but Chapman struggled in his return from the injured list. Chapman walked Bogaerts after Renfroe's homer and allowed a two-out single to Martinez to put runners at first and third.

Lucas Luetge got a groundout on Plawecki that was upheld via review and converted his third career save.

Pivetta allowed four runs on four hits in a season-low 1 2/3 innings. He dropped to 3-6 since winning his first six decisions.

--Field Level Media