MVP of the Yankees New York’s 8-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox in 2023 came on the heels of Gerrit Cole’s poorest start of the MLB season.

Here are four takeaways from Saturday’s first contest. The rain came down in torrents. Despite Cole’s stellar season for the Yankees, the Red Sox battered him for several runs.

Even though Cole got off to a good start in the second inning by grounding Connor Wong into a 5-2 force out after Adam Duvall and Jarren Duran had singled and Pablo Reyes had walked to load the bases, his success was short-lived. On the first pitch, Luis Urias Һit a grand slam to the bullpen in left center, putting the Yankees in an immediate 4-0 hole.

Cole worked into similar difficulty in the fourth inning after a perfect third. After a single by Reyes, Wong blasted a two-run home run into the first few rows of the short porch in right field, extending Boston’s lead to 6-0.

After the Red Sox had done their damage, Cole (10-4, 3.03 ERA) answered by getting the final three outs in order. In only four innings of work, he gave up six runs on seven hits (two home runs), struck out four, and walked one.

Cole’s оffensive was so bad that even if he were better, he still wouldn’t have had a chance. Kutter Crawford had the Yankees Һitless until the sixth inning, when Aaron Judge Һit a single shot to left-center field with one out, scoring New York 6 runs.

Crawford (6-6, 3.66 ERA) struck out five batters, walked two, and allowed only Judge’s 24th home run of the season over six innings, throwing 82 pitches (52 strikes).

Greg Allen’s two-out single in the eighth inning was the only other Һit for the Yankees. New York’s comeback hopes were dashed when Anthony Volpe struck out swinging.

Four embarrassing moments for the Yankees during this game come to mind when trying to convey just how bad things have gone for them. In the second inning, with New York trailing by four runs and no outs, Isiah Kiner-Falefa squared to bunt following a leadoff walk by Giancarlo Stanton. Stanton, who had taken off for second base, was doubled off at first when Kiner-Falefa’s effort floated up to Wong in the box.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, with one out and two on, Masataka Yoshida scored on a double by Albert Abreu when Allen couldn’t catch a Reyes fly ball down the left-field line while figҺting the sun. It looked like the Yankees had put the game away at that point, but Rafael Devers opened the ninth inning with a solo home run to center field, making it 8-1.

Next Steps

On Sunday at 1:35 p.m., the last game of a three-game series between the Yankees (60-63) and Red Sox (65-58) will begin.