In their first meeting of the 2025 MLB season, the New York Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox, 9-6. The Yankees jumped on Red Sox starter Walker Buehler, roaring out to a 7-0 lead by the second inning.
The onslaught began immediately with Trent Grisham drawing a leadoff walk and Aaron Judge hitting a double. Buehler looked like he might get out of trouble, getting Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt out. But he then dropped in a knuckle-curve that Jazz Chisholm Jr. golfed out to center field for a three-run homer.
Jasson Domínguez followed with a single and came home on a two-run shot by Anthony Volpe. Buehler threw a 94.7 mph fastball right down the middle of the strike zone that the Yankees shortstop smacked to the opposite field.
The right-hander allowed one more hit, a single to Austin Wells, before getting DJ LeMahieu to ground out to end the inning. Buehler finished with seven runs (five earned), seven hits and two walks allowed before Zack Kelly took over in the third.
In his past two starts, Buehler has given up 12 runs (10 earned), 17 hits (four of them home runs) and four walks in 7 2/3 innings. Following the game, the eight-year veteran gave a tough self-evaluation to reporters.
“This organization put a lot of faith in me this offseason and I’ve been f***ing embarrassing for us,” Buehler said, via MassLive’s Christopher Smith. “So it’s tough.”
“It’s obviously a big game and a big rivalry that I was excited to be a part of,” he added. “And for it to go the way that it did is super disappointing, especially after the past two, three weeks of kind of prep and throwing and all that kinda s*** and how I’m feeling. Physically I feel great and for it to happen that way, it sucks.”
Buehler (4-4) has a 5.10 ERA after 10 starts for Boston with 44 strikeouts and 17 walks in 48 2/3 innings. In early May, he went on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation. Buehler signed a one-year, $21.05 million free-agent deal with the Red Sox after seven seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers and nearly three years removed from Tommy John surgery.
The Red Sox did have some highlights, including Marcelo Mayer hitting his first career home run. (Rafael Devers later added his 13th of the season.) They scored four runs against Yankees starter Will Warren. But they couldn’t overcome Buehler’s terrible second inning.
“He feels great physically, he feels his stuff is really good, and then that happened, you know?” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Buehler after the game. “So it’s not easy to be out there and get your ass kicked, right? I think we’re all frustrated, you know, and he’s trying to find a way.”
Boston has lost nine of its past 12 games and dropped to 30-35 for the season. That leaves the Red Sox in fourth place, 10.5 games behind the Yankees in the AL East. They’re also five games out of the AL’s third wild-card playoff berth.
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